View the Puppet Master
by Princess Tyler Briefs
Summary: Hinata’s sixteenth birthday is coming up, and Neji is expected to have a date for the party. Too bad finding the right girl turns out to be the least of his troubles. NejiTen with a smattering of others.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** There's an evil streak in me that is REALLY going to enjoy this story. On that same note, as much as I've studied Japanese language, the cultural ideas and ideals are still largely a mystery to me. If anyone has good reference sites for such things, I'd love to see them!

This, in theory, takes place after Part II will complete. HOWEVER, I'm ignoring the part where _**SPOILER SPOILER**_ Kishimoto seems to have gone insane by OPing Naruto and blowing up the village _**END SPOILER END SPOILER**_. So it's sort of AU, but I don't think I'm going to directly contradict anything prior to that point.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned them, Part II would have been an entirely different story. Just so you know.

**Summary:** Hinata's sixteenth birthday is coming up, and Neji is expected to have a date for the party. Too bad finding the right girl turns out to be the least of his troubles. NejiTen with a smattering of others.

**Genre:** Humor/Romance. In that order.

**Ratings:** PG, maybe edging up to PG-13 for language, innuendo, and adult situations. But as usual, nothing all that bad.

**Warnings:** Lots and lots of het! Which is way different for my regular readers (sorry guys!)

_**View the Puppetmaster  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 1_

It bothered Neji a great deal that his Uncle still held the power to unnerve him so much with such a simple phrase. "Come see me in my office after lunch." That's all the Hyuuga clan leader had to say, and seventeen-year-old Neji started jumping out of his skin at swift moving shadows. It was unpleasant and, more than that, annoying.

Hiashi-sama had treated him very well since the first Chuunin exam, training with him nearly everyday and showing him nearly as much favor as Hiashi's own two daughters.

Neji still could not forget that the older man could kill him with a thought if he chose, however unlikely that was. Particularly when other branch members gave him heated and envious looks.

If THEY wanted to spend so much time alone with someone who could kill them instantly, who they could not defend themselves from, they were welcome to it as far as Neji was concerned. He'd much rather spend his time training with his team anyway; they offered more variety.

The young man took a deep breath through his nose, attempting to calm his racing heart. He had done nothing wrong, and Tsunade wouldn't permit the random killing of one of her best young Jounin. Neji was sure of that much, at least, and so far Hiashi-sama had always seemed disinclined to go against the Hokage's orders in anyway.

Or even do something she might frown at, which was now a running whispered joke among some of his slightly older cousins. Neji failed to see the humor, and it did little to calm him now at any rate.

Kneeling down outside the delicate looking door, he knocked lightly on the frame. When the invitation to come in was extended, he slid the door open and scooted himself in. Neji hated having to shuffle along on his knees, but Hiashi-sama's private office was one of the most formal places in the compound, the last place you'd want to violate etiquette.

He could feel his uncle's eyes on him as he approached the desk, and resisted the urge to look up and defiantly make eye-contact just because he could. "You wanted to see me, Hiashi-sama?"

There was silence for a long moment, and Neji continued to focus on staring at the hands resting on his knees. He would not look up and demand an explanation for this unnerving invitation and the even more unnerving lack of speaking. He would not accuse the clan head of doing this for his own twisted amusement. He would not…

"Do you have a girlfriend, Neji?"

Now he looked up, and he was sure the surprise was written all over his face but…where on earth had that question come from? They'd discussed many things while training, but Neji's personal life was NOT one of those things. It took a few heartbeats for the teen to kick his brain in to gear enough to respond. "No, sir."

Hiashi-sama's face was unreadable as he looked his nephew up and down. Neji didn't bother looking away, certain that his uncle's rather mortifying intrusion into his personal life warranted some retaliation. For a second, Neji was certain he saw what might be the beginnings of a smile on his uncle's face, but they disappeared just as quickly when the older man spoke next. "Are there any girls you are interested in?"

Neji dropped his gaze again, this time from embarrassment because no, he could not think of one particular girl that he thought merited special attention. Not that he'd ever really looked before, because they generally seemed like a waste of time to him. TenTen wasn't but TenTen…she was just herself. The same girl that had given him a sound beating during their early Academy days for harassing Lee. The same girl that had helped him figure out Kaiten, and trained with him almost daily even now. She was his teammate, and herself, and while Neji considered her one of his three best friends, he was fairly certain that wasn't what Hiashi-sama was asking.

Unable to think of anything else to say, all he could do was continue to stare at the ground and respond with a quiet, "no, sir."

Whether this was the answer the Hyuuga head was hoping for or not, he gave no indication. This whole thing was making Neji feel like a scolded child, and it was really starting to annoy. He hadn't done anything wrong by showing no preference for any of Konoha's female population. There was no rule that said that he, as a branch family member, HAD to marry anyway. There was no reason for this humiliating interrogation.

"You are aware that Hinata's sixteenth birthday is in two weeks times, are you not?"

…Or maybe there was. Tradition held that Hyuuga women were presented to the world as eligible for marrying at that age, even if typically it did not happen for a few more years. This was the time when proposals for his cousin's hand would start coming in, both inside and outside the clan, and the party was always a large and formal affair. The idea of it all made the seventeen-year-old inwardly cringe. "I was not aware it was coming so soon, Hiashi-sama."

This did seem to be an acceptable answer, as the older man nodded his head. "This will be the first party since you yourself reached sixteen, Neji, and as such you may not be aware of the rules required."

"Rules?" Neji echoed as he suppressed a groan. He was proud of his heritage, in his own way, but he did not enjoy the rigidity required at every single organized event. Some of the older men there made Neji himself look as loose and free-spirited as Lee. The last thing he wanted was a whole new set of rules to follow.

His uncle nodded solemnly, though it didn't look quite right for a reason Neji could not name. "Being over age yourself, you are required to bring a date to all formal parties."

"WHAT?" It was uncharacteristic for him to yell so, and Neji mentally chalked it up as the result of the day's stress leading up to the meeting, but he honestly couldn't help it. They were going to force him to bring a girl to one of those things? To associate with a girl, period?

He tried to picture himself with the kunoichi he associated with, and the image of Ino hanging off his arm all night, wistfully monologue at him about how dark and dreamy and mysterious he was forced Neji to groan aloud this time. He desperately wanted to this to be a joke, but experience told him that Hiashi-sama never did such an undignified thing as joke.

The older man must have taken pity on him, as his face softened slightly. "It is expected that you have a young lady to accompany you, Neji, to show the rest of the clan that you are competent."

Competent at what, Neji almost asked, but changed his mind. Maybe he was better off not knowing.

"You do not have to like her, just be able to tolerate her for a few hours." The faint twitching of one corner of his mouth was as close as Neji had ever seen his uncle come to smiling. "Surely you can think of one such girl, can't you?"

Well, yes, there was one but TenTen was not the sort of girl his family generally approved of. He tried to picture his loud, free-spirited teammate in one of the ornate kimonos required for such activities, accepting with grace the inevitable critique of kunoichi fighting like men. His brain broke a little, unable to even imagine it.

His uncle continued, seemingly unaware of his nephew's mental distress. "I would naturally offer to have you accompany Hinata, but it would be inappropriate for her to be seen as dating before her birthday is finished. But you must bring someone, Neji. It is important you make a good impression on the clan elders."

Neji wanted to demand why he, of all people, had to make a good impression, but his usually acute brain was still trying to recover from the vision of the damage TenTen would inevitably cause when one of the aforementioned clan elders insinuated she belonged in infiltration and not on the battlefield beside her male counterparts. He'd seen once before what her twin dragon technique could do to fragile sliding doors and he did NOT want to repeat it.

Even if the image of some of the elders as pincushions was rather appealing.

And Hiashi-sama was still talking! "As you are to make a good impression, naturally you will bring which ever girl you choose here for my approval. We will have a rehearsal dinner for her a week before the party. Not with everyone, of course, but with myself and some of the more prominent families…"

At this point, if he'd been a lesser man, Neji was sure he would have cried. He'd have a week to try and drill into TenTen that killing old traditionalist was bad? It couldn't be done. It would not be possible to raise, or lower, depending on your view, TenTen to his family's standards in such a short amount of time, but TenTen was the only girl he could even remotely tolerate for extended periods.

No, he didn't cry, but he did decide to screw etiquette and let his head fall against his Uncle's desk with a nice loud crack. It didn't knock him out as he'd hoped.

Damn.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** It has occurred to me that, at different points in this story, Hiashi may come off as a bit of a jerk. I actually kind of like him, and trust me when I say he has a reason for everything he says and does. Narrator!Neji just can't know such things.

Because this comes up every time I write a story with Guy in it (and he's bound to be here) lets get it out of the way early. I am NOT spelling his name wrong! Point—"Fansubs have often dubbed his name as **Maito Gai**, a direct and unaltered transliteration of the character's name, but the second official _Naruto_ data book (_Hiden: Tō no Sho_) states his name as Might Guy". (My source being Narutopedia).

So, while 'Maito Gai' is not technically wrong, Kishimoto spells it Might Guy himself. Nobody spells Rock Lee's name as 'Rooku Rii" even though it's more technically correct, so I don't see why I should HAVE to spell Guy's name in romaji either. That is all.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 2_

Neji was, in his opinion, rather understandably nervous about informing TenTen of his dilemma. This was TenTen they were talking about here. TenTen, who was the only girl—the only non-Jounin person that he knew of—that had given him a rather sound beating. Not once, but twice.

The first time they had been nine-years-old, and he'd just gotten though tearing down every dream a young Rock Lee had thrown his way, dismissing them all as impossible, and Lee as an idiot. He'd turned around, ready to leave the teary eyed boy sitting on the ground, only to take a punch square in the jaw that knocked HIM to the ground. There was no time to fall into his Gentle Fist stance before the hellcat was on him, biting, clawing, and punching any part of him she could reach.

It had taken two of the Academy teachers to pull them apart, and she only stopped trying to kill him when Lee asked her to. Neji could still remember staring in shock at the quiet girl with long brown braids from his class, the one that wore the same shirt everyday and DIDN'T ask for his help with everything. Up until then, he'd kind of liked her for her independence, but right that moment he'd hated her.

She'd never apologized for that, and after a month on the same team Neji had stopped expecting her to.

The second time had been just after she'd recovered from her match with Temari. They'd met to spar, as usual, but after just a few minutes it was obvious that TenTen was out to kill him, if she could. Without the Kaiten the two of them would perfect later that month, he was rather at the mercy of her long range attacks. She'd been very nearly successful in her attempts to cut short his existence.

At the time he'd thought she was just working out her frustration over losing so badly. It wasn't until after his Naruto induced wake-up call that he realized someone had probably told her about his fight with Hinata-sama.

She never apologized for that one, either.

And while he'd greatly improved since that time, and it was rare for TenTen to score a hit on him anymore, he had no doubts that she could, given enough incentive. He was pretty sure that asking her to completely change everything about herself to go a date with him that had zero romantic significance would probably push the limit. He was confident TenTen had no romantic feelings for him, but girl got insulted at random things. This, for example.

"Neji!" TenTen's shrieks, while the same volume, were less piercing than Ino's. Neji could appreciate this. Unfortunately, her's came with sharp projectiles thrown to accentuate every sentence fragment. "You're not. Paying. Attention!"

She knew this because she'd managed to hit him in the eye with the blunt end of a kunai. It was a really stupid slip, for both of them; though Neji was greatly relieved his distraction had been at a moment when the sharp end wasn't coming right for him.

No one but Kakashi could pull off the pirate look.

TenTen landed, dropping her scroll to the ground, and muttering as she bent to gather the projectiles nearest her feet, "not even trying and I still can't beat you. Doing wonders for my self-confidence, you are."

He felt bad about this, honestly, but since he couldn't think how to express that he didn't say so. Instead he folded his arms over his chest and sat down on the grass. Training TenTen to be the kind of lady his family wanted him to court would take time. He needed to ask her, today, if there was going to be any chance of them pulling this off. It might be a chance of point one percent, but that was still better than absolute zero, right?

TenTen grabbed a handful of senbon, and they disappeared with a pop as she channeled her chakra through them just-so. "What's got you so out of it today, anyway? Hanabi's cat get in the aviary again?"

Neji inwardly cringed. So many feathers, so much blood. "No." There was no time like the present, really. And, if TenTen killed him, at least he wouldn't have to go explain his dateless status to Hiashi-sama. That was a pleasant thought. "Hinata-sama's sixteenth birthday is in two weeks."

"I know she's quiet, Neji, but she can't be that hard to shop for." TenTen grinned as more weapons vanished back into her scroll. "Get her a fox stuffed animal. She'll die of embarrassment and love it at the same time."

Neji scowled. Team Guy had worked out for themselves long ago what Naruto was, and his teammates' thinly veiled references to his soft-spoken cousin's hapless crush were NOT amusing. "Sixteen is an important age for Hyuuga women. It is when they become eligible to marry."

TenTen looked up at him, her face serious. "I'm flattered, Neji, but I don't think Hiashi-sama would find me a suitable spouse for his daughter. You can try Lee, but I think the ultimate result would be the same, with different reasons, of course."

There were times when Neji could appreciate his teammate's sense of humor. Now was not one of those times. In fact, he was fairly certain his bruised eye was twitching in annoyance with devil-may-care attitude. "We are having a big formal party, and I am required to bring a date."

"Oh." The impish grin melted off the girl's face, which was a rather fascinating thing to watch. "I guess I can ask Ino for you, if you want me to."

"Why would I want you to?" His eye was definitely twitching now, and he was less than confident that he could stop it.

"Well, she's a fairly well bred girl," TenTen responded, face and eyes completely serious. "If a bit eccentric. But she can behave well enough when she has to. She knows the rules, at least, unlike Sakura."

The 'and me' wasn't said, but Neji still heard it clearly. He cleared his throat, hoping to force down the whine that he knew was lurking just below the surface. "I don't wish to go with Ino. Or Sakura."

Now TenTen simply looked perplexed, turning her head to the side. "You ARE planning on taking a girl, aren't you?"

He would not growl and pout, it was undignified, no matter how tempting it seemed. "Yes, TenTen. I was…I want…would you be my date?"

The clearing was silent for the space of twenty seconds before TenTen collapsed in a fit of giggles. "Wow, Neji, that was good! For a second there I thought you were serious. You've been practicing the humor thing, right?"

Neji sighed, closing his eyes. He may not believe fate dictated every part of his life anymore, but he was sure she had a terrible sense of humor about some things, still. His cursed luck of teammates was probably the running joke somewhere. "TenTen?"

"Yes?"

"I was serious."

She stopped laughing at a speed Lee would have envied. "What?"

"I'm not in a habit of repeating myself." It sounded cold, but the truth was Neji wasn't sure he COULD say it again. It had been difficult enough to get out the first time, and then she'd laughed at him, and for some reason it almost hurt.

"Me?" Her voice sounded oddly faint. "You want me to be your date to a Hyuuga clan party?"

Neji couldn't read the emotions in her eyes, but there were emotions and for some reason he couldn't hold her gaze any longer with them there so he looked down instead. "There may be other girls whose manners are more suitable, perhaps, but you're the only one that's tolerable."

The only reason he caught the kunai thrown viciously at his head was because it was habit.

"That's not a good way to get a girl to go out with you, Neji!" TenTen was scowling now, standing up to dust the grass off her knees.

"You're not a girl, you're TenTen," was all the seventeen-year-old could think of as a defense. Girls took offense at such tings, but TenTen always knew what he was trying to say, instead of what he actually said. Girls were stupid and shallow and fawned over him because he was a genius and they wanted to bask in his greatness. TenTen knocked him down when he needed it, genius or not. Therefore, girl did not equal TenTen.

She was better then that.

The anger on the kunoichi's face dissolved and she looked away. "Of course. Right." She worried her bottom lip a little, a habit Neji had never fully understood the meaning of. "Fine, I'll go with you. But I make no promises that you're house will be intact when this is all over. Or that all the Hyuuga's will still be living."

Neji smiled, in spite of himself. "We could stand to lose a few."

TenTen stared at him, oddly dumbstruck, before giggling nervously again.

It took effort, but Neji suppressed the twitching corners of his mouth. "TenTen?"

"Yes?"

"I was serious that time, too."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** If you're wondering about the fast updates…I work opening shift. This means I sit at a computer in a big empty building for two hours and hope the phone doesn't ring, and that's it. I can write an eight page essay in two hours, easy, so usually four pages of story isn't a problem for me.

Besides, I need to get this one done so I can work on my OTHER NejiTen ideas. Has a non-AU version of Pride and Prejudice been done before?

…Anybody else think Neji is trying to hard to keep TenTen and girl separate in his head?

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 3_

Phase one of 'Getting a date with TenTen WITHOUT getting myself killed' was complete. And had involved far less blood-shed then he'd anticipated, which was making him optimistic for phase two, which was 'get Hinata to help me make TenTen a lady without offending either of them'.

It was a task no guy should have to face, but as the Hyuuga Genius, Neji thought he probably had the best shot. It didn't stop him from wishing he had Lee or Naruto as back-up, though.

After their conversation in the clearing, Neji had explained everything to TenTen, about his interview with Hiashi—though he skipped the invasive questions—and the rehearsal dinner coming up in a week. TenTen had looked horrified at the idea that she needed to be approved, and seemed to still be pondering that idea as Neji grabbed her wrist and started leading her to the compound.

A compliant TenTen was unnerving as hell, so he really hoped she formed an opinion soon so they could argue again. Arguing he knew how to deal with.

It was Hinata's habit to be in the gardens at this time on Sundays, regardless of the seasons. She maintained that they were still beautiful, even in December, and nobody cared to argue with her.

TenTen was still following him unresistingly, and Neji was tempted to kick her just to get a reaction. "Hinata-sama."

"Neji-niisan," the younger girl looked up, surprised. "TenTen-san…what are you doing here?"

"Not sure, ask Neji," TenTen responded in a voice that might have been a whisper. Neji glanced over his shoulder at her, surprised. TenTen didn't whisper! That was like saying Rock Lee could be sneaky, it just didn't happen. His female teammate only half-shrugged in response.

Feeling Hinata's eyes on him, Neji turned to meet her curious gaze, "she's going to be my date for your party."

"Your…" Hinata's eyes widened to nearly comical proportions, and her struggle to find the right words was obvious. "Neji-niisan I don't…Father will not…oh…"

"I know." And he did. She was trying to say that her father and the council would not approve. But that's why he was here. "I need your help."

"You do?" His cousin asked sheepishly. The panic vanished from her face, to be replaced by something like hope. It was just a little frightening.

"You do?" TenTen echoed, her voice flat. It seems she hadn't caught on with what was going on yet. This was odd, as she was usually able to closely follow his leaps of logic.

With a nod, he spoke almost more to TenTen then Hinata, though he was still technically addressing his cousin. "We need to have TenTen presentable by the rehearsal dinner Hiashi-sama is having for her in a week."

"A week?" Hinata squeaked. Good, she understood the dilemma fully.

The bonk on the back of his head took Neji off guard, and he stumbled slightly. One of these days he was going to figure out how to have his eyes active around TenTen at all times. You never could be sure what she was going to do.

"What, you mean I'm not presentable now? If you don't think I'm good enough, why the hell did you ask me?" TenTen was obviously fuming, and Neji was confused. It was unlike TenTen to get so upset over such little things. She'd admitted herself not knowing protocol, and it wasn't as if Neji was asking her to change who she was. Just modify her behavior for two nights.

Hinata's hand was lifted up to her mouth, and Neji just knew she was smiling under there. "Ah…TenTen-san, I don't think that's exactly how Neji-niisan meant that to sound."

Neji scowled a little to himself. What did she mean by that? He'd said exactly what he meant, as always.

TenTen pulled her wrist away from his now limp hand, "well then what did he mean?"

"The-the clan has certain expectations for young ladies," Hinata wasn't bothering to hide her grin anymore. "I don't think Neji-niisan likes those expectations but…you don't seem to really fit them."

How this was any better than what he'd said was a mystery to Neji, but TenTen relaxed. The young man sighed quietly to himself. No one could possibly understand girls his age, it just wasn't possible. They probably didn't even understand themselves half the time.

"You're familiar with the idea of the ideal kunoichi," Hinata smiled encouragingly, and though it hadn't sounded like a question to Neji, maybe it was.

"The perfect kunoichi is polite and refined, humble and quiet, but always ready and able to fight," TenTen recited the obviously memorized definition in a deadpan, and Neji couldn't help smiling. That was more like the TenTen he was used to.

Hinata nodded encouragingly, sitting on the grass. TenTen dropped beside her, leaving Neji to awkwardly stand there. He didn't want to sit without invitation, but looking down at them like this didn't make him comfortable either.

His cousin motioned vaguely towards the house, "we have a saying that a woman must be a flower of steel. Beautiful and delicate on the outside, but firm and unyielding in-inside."

It struck the young Hyuuga just how apt a description that was for TenTen, and he mentally kicked himself. This was TenTen, HIS TenTen. She wasn't beautiful and delicate. She was…well, nice enough to look at, but a hardworking girl that was ready and able to kill at a moments notice, that could keep pace with him and Lee, and was the best sparring partner for either of them in the whole village.

Beautiful he might, maybe, allow, be certainly not delicate.

"Neji-niisan is expected to be the perfect example of the Hyuuga clan," Hinata smiled up at him apologetically for that, though Neji couldn't understand why. "And I…I think Father and the others would want his g-girlfriend to be the same."

TenTen opened her mouth, but Neji couldn't stand to hear her deny having feelings for him, and he didn't have time to say why. Instead, he beat her to it. "She's not my girlfriend, she's my date."

Girlfriends implied long-standing relationships with flowers, and chocolate, and other girly stuff that just didn't belong in a thought with TenTen. And romantic feelings, which neither of them had.

For some reason he got the distinct impression that Hinata was laughing at him in her head. "I-I'm sorry. But the principal is still the same."

TenTen had turned her face away from him, making it impossible for him to gauge her expression as she spoke. "So, what, I'm supposed to act like you?"

Hinata shook her head, dark hair flying loose. "N-no, I'm too s-soft. You should be stronger than me."

No offence meant to Hinata-sama, but if there was one thing Neji could guarantee TenTen was it would be strong. The steel part was not his concern.

TenTen turned too look at him, eyes displaying just how little that steel would be a problem. "You brought me here so I could take lessons from Hinata, didn't you?"

"I just don't want you to embarrass yourself." Neji winced, visibly this time. That hadn't been what he'd meant to say. He'd meant to come off all cool and collected, informing her that he wouldn't have asked if he thought she couldn't do it. Maybe even pull an Uchiha brat and not say anything. He certainly hadn't intended for THAT to come flying out of his mouth.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata groaned, sounding exasperated, and TenTen jumped to her feet.

"You think I can't do it?" To his unending surprise, TenTen's face was red with fury. She wasn't just annoyed with him, she was irate.

An Academy lesson on how there was no shame in retreating sprang to mind. "I wouldn't have asked you if I didn't think you could handle it."

TenTen stared at him, the hand she had clenched in fury falling to her side. "Oh…"

"I'm just concerned that you'll get angry and do something irrational," Neji finished, and mentally patted himself on the back.

The kunoichi scowled at him, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm always rational!"

He had to raise an eyebrow at this, and TenTen relented a little with a sigh. Maybe he was just a glutton for punishment, but the Hyuuga felt he had to drive the point home so she would understand. "You're not a refined young lady, TenTen, and it's easy to make a mistake."

He barely dodged the shuriken that TenTen launched at him, and winced when he heard them sticking to the building. And did Hinata-sama just snort?

"I can be a refined young lady if I want to, Neji Hyuuga! Don't underestimate me or it'll be the last thing you ever do!" Irate had just jumped up to all our furious now, and the boy inside of him that still remembered how badly her punches hurt shivered in terror. Outwardly, he just smirked. Not exactly how he'd intended to get TenTen to agree to lessons on culture, but it worked.

Smirking, it seemed, had been the wrong thing to do. TenTen's eyes flashed, and suddenly it was all he could do to keep from becoming a shishkabob. Hinata was definitely laughing now, but whether or not it was at him, Neji couldn't decide. He hoped not, because if HINATA was laughing at them it did not bode well.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** And now we're getting into the 'make it up as I go along' area. Hopefully, I'll still manage fast updates.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 4_

TenTen had rather surprisingly small feet. Neji wasn't sure why he hadn't noticed before, because it wasn't like she kept her feet hidden from him for…how long had he known her? Eight years? He'd seen her feet plenty of times and he'd never really noticed before. He probably wouldn't have noticed this time, either, except when Hinata had asked TenTen what she thought her best feature was, his teammate had answered with a clipped "my feet".

Their little party had moved in from the garden to Hinata's room, and while the two girls had taken their spots in front of the full-length mirror that rested against one wall, Neji was firmly planted by the door, making sure they would remain undisturbed. He wanted TenTen to make a good impression, and for that to happen no one could know they were practicing. The grace and manners had to appear natural.

The brown-haired kunoichi was twisting her foot this way and that, showing it off to the two Hyuugas. Hinata fidgeted, for some unknown reason; while Neji silently agreed they were very nice feet. Feet that size lent themselves to speed and silence, and Neji had never seen his teammate trip over them either. Nice functional feet.

"I meant on your face," Hinata said after a pause. "What do you think is your best feature on your face?"

TenTen blinked. So did Neji. He could see using her feet as a basis to practice correct posture—TenTen almost had it, she just had to get the carriage of her head right. He couldn't understand what her face had to do with any of it.

Besides, it wasn't like there was one feature that stood out, which suited Neji just fine. All of her face was pleasant enough to look at, being nice and balanced. Why should anyone value one part of it more than another?

"Well I…my eyes, I guess," TenTen frowned at her reflection before sticking her tongue out at it. Neji smiled at this, and hoped neither girl noticed.

Here in the safety of her own room, Hinata seemed much more assertive. She nodded once, seeming to tuck that information away for later use, before bending down to grab something from the low trunk by her feet, and stood with a notebook and a yellow strip in her hands.

TenTen eyed them both warily, "what are those for?"

"Do you have a kimono, TenTen-san?" Hinata asked, her face betraying nothing.

The older of the two girls glanced at Neji in the mirror before looking away. It took Neji a full heartbeat to realize that she looked embarrassed. He had never seen TenTen embarrassed before! Not even when Team Guy had been at a hotel in enemy territory, and Guy-sensei had insisted she henge into a man so he could keep an eye on her while they all bathed. She'd bee furious, but not embarrassed.

Slowly, the kunoichi shook her head, though she offered no explanation or excuse as to why not.

Hinata nodded as if she'd expected this all along. She unfurled the yellow cloth, revealing it to be some kind of measuring utensil. Like measuring tape, or a yard stick, only soft and flexible. She smiled and motioned towards him. "I need your help to do this, Neji-niisan."

Neji stood and approached as one might a cornered tiger. He wasn't sure what might set TenTen off today, and he knew she had weapons hidden under her clothes. Hinata was asking him to move into skewering distance.

She handed him one side of the tape and tapped a spot on TenTen's lower neck, "hold it here."

Neji did as instructed, not bothering to ask how his cousin would know how to do this. She may not know all that much about being a ninja, but she knew a rather surprising amount about how to run the Hyuuga household, from cooking and supervising cooking right down to things like this they could hire someone to do. Neji didn't know why she bothered learning these things, but couldn't deny it was useful.

Once assured that Neji had it right, Hinata knelt to the ground and measured to a spot an inch or two just passed TenTen's ankle, and scribbled down the number.

TenTen fidgeted a little, and Neji smiled at her. "If it helps, I'm not looking." Girls were generally uncomfortable revealing anything about themselves that had numbers in it. The teenager didn't understand the why of this either, but knew better than to disrespect it. TenTen simply rolled her eyes at him.

Neji took a step back as Hinata stood again, and set about measuring the width of TenTen's back, then the length of her arm, before she handed an end back to Neji. "Hold that at her waist, please."

His teammate's eyes momentarily widened, and she turned her head so Neji could no longer see her face in the mirror, but he did as instructed. He was surprised to find just how curvy she felt under those baggy clothes, and even more surprised that there weren't any weapons strapped there.

Hinata pulled the tape out of Neji's hand once she'd reached the top of TenTen's shoulder, leaving him rather awkwardly with his hand still on her waist, while the younger girl measured around the kunoichi neck. With all these, and a couple of other things, noted on the little paper, Hinata stepped back.

Deciding he was not needed anymore, Neji stepped back as well to resume his spot by the door. TenTen visibly relaxed at this, and he was mildly insulted. Did she think he would hurt her? She was his teammate; she should have more faith in him then that.

He still wasn't entirely sure what all the measurements were for, as it was his understanding that kimonos were made pretty standard, but he wasn't going to question Hinata on this. He'd asked for her help because he didn't know what he was doing, and it seemed best to follow her lead.

After Hinata surveyed the other girl up and down, and made a few more notes on her little pad, she smiled at TenTen. Neji watched, silently amused, as TenTen all but twitched under Hinata's gaze. The idea of anyone being uncomfortable in Hinata's presence was funny to him.

"So, now what?" TenTen asked, looking so obviously uncomfortable that Neji was almost, almost, sorry for putting her through this. He remembered, however, the vision of Ino trying to flirt and flatter all the Hyuuga boys while acting as his date and steeled his resolve. It was only two weeks, and then TenTen could forget all about it. He was the one stuck with the consequences from her until eternity.

"Now we shall practice bowing," Hinata smiled at her and gestured with her hand for TenTen to demonstrate.

The older kunoichi did so, and Neji immediately recognized the problem. TenTen bowed like a man, with her arms straight at her sides, and not nearly low enough for the situation. He'd never really thought about it before, as usually all three of them would bow together and it just looked nice and uniform that way, but some of his cousins would die of laughter if his date bowed like that.

Neji groaned, covering his face with his hand as he tried to block their mocking voices out of his mind.

TenTen glare at him, standing up ramrod straight again. "What? Do you have a problem with the way I bow, Neji?"

"Yes," he muttered, ignoring her as she reached for her weapon's pouch. Hinata had insisted she remove it while in her room—probably to minimize collateral damage, now that Neji thought about it.

Hinata grabbed the older girl's wrist with speed neither of the older teenagers had realized she possessed. "Y-you're bowing is fine for missions, TenTen-san. But here we are expected t-to do so a little a differently."

TenTen stared at her, looking utterly lost, and Neji wondered, for the first time, what kind of home his friend must have grown up in to not even understand the basic differences between male and female bowing. He'd never had occasion to think about TenTen's home life before. As a rule, Team Guy just didn't discuss their home lives, although his whole team knew of Neji's previous issues and Neji knew that Rock Lee's mother was a civilian who worked long and hard to keep their home, and that she was rarely present. Lee told him this had gotten better since he'd begun work as a ninja, and could help out.

The kunoichi of their team had never said anything. None of them had ever asked her. Neji knew he hadn't because he'd simply never thought to, but he wondered about Lee. He was usually the kind do to do that sort of thing. And now that he'd thought it, Neji wanted to know. No, that wasn't right. Now he needed to know. If they were going to get this right, they needed to know where they were starting from.

TenTen turned to him, eyes wide, as he stood. "Neji, where are you going?"

"I thought you two might be more comfortable without me watching." It was the first time Neji could remember lying to TenTen. He wasn't even sure why he was lying. Logically, it would be best just to ask her, because, really, it was her business. Instinct told him, however, that if she'd kept it a secret this long she wasn't to keen on sharing.

"But, Neji!" TenTen's protest was cut off as he shut the door behind him, and Neji released a breath he hadn't realized he been holding and relaxed muscles that had tensed without his permission. Now, it was only a matter of finding his green teammate and grilling him for information he may not be willing to share.

Neji couldn't help smirking just a little. This had the potential to be fun.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** If you want a story that revolves around finding out the past of your crush (and don't mind KakaIru) check out my story "All the Broken Pieces". In case you were wondering why things go the way they do here…that's why.

Shorter than the others, but I decided it was better to break here than continue on for many more pages of battle.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 5_

It wasn't all that difficult to find Rock Lee when he was in the village. All you had to do was follow the stares and laughter. Often times, there were even people pointing the right direction and whispering behind their hands.

This had always irked Neji, although the reason why had changed over the years. At first it had annoyed him because everyone knew they were teammates, and laughing at Lee meant they were laughing at him. This was still true, to some degree, but now he was less concerned about the fact that they were laughing at a Hyuuga branch member, and more concerned that they were laughing at his teammate.

This time, Lee was walking around on his hands in what had to be the oddest way Neji had ever seen. He would do one push-up while upside down like that, then do this little hop thing to move forward before doing another one. The hops certainly didn't take him very far, and Neji hoped he hadn't challenged himself to go around the village five hundred times that way, because then he would never finish.

Neji walked up beside his teammate, trying his best to look casual. "Lee, I need to ask you something."

Lee tilted his head to look up at him, a frown on his face for a split second before he seemed to realize who it was. "Good afternoon, Neji! You and TenTen finished your youthful training with impressive speed today, it seems."

The Hyuuga prodigy didn't know why, but having it expressed in just that way made his hands twitch. "We didn't finish training so much as we switched focus."

His teammate made a noise that might have been to express confusion or possibly pain from his odd positioning. "But she's not here with you?"

"No, she's continuing training with Hinata-sama." That sounded so strange when said aloud, and Lee looked up at him with obvious surprise. Neji just shrugged. "There are some lessons that Hinata-sama is better qualified to teach."

He was relieved when Lee didn't question him further, and instead his green clad teammate grinned at him. "Then have you come to train with me instead, my esteemed rival?"

He didn't like it when Lee called him that, and rather wished he would stop doing so. "No, Lee, I've come to ask you some questions. Would you mind standing up?"

Lee looked perplexed. "But, Neji, if I do not complete one hundred laps like this, I must…"

Neji didn't wait to hear the rest, instead reaching out and giving Lee's legs a firm push. Taijutsu master or not, he was still subject to gravity, and what ever else he may have assigned himself couldn't possibly be that insane.

Rock Lee landed hard on his back, and stared up at Neji with a betrayed look on his face.

To counter, Neji assumed his best scowl and folded his arms across his chest. "You and TenTen have been best friends since the Academy, right?"

Sitting up slowly, Lee nodded. He still didn't stand, though, and Neji found himself once again awkwardly towering over the person he was speaking to. "We've been friends since the first day."

"In all that time, you must have learned something about her family."

Lee nodded again, though more cautiously this time.

Neji smirked at this, and offered a hand down to Lee to help him up. "Tell me."

"Why do you need to know?" Lee's face was still guarded, but he accepted the hand. "TenTen swore me to secrecy in all but the most extreme circumstances."

The Hyuuga doubted that TenTen had actually said that last part. It was far more likely that Lee had added it himself as an escape clause in case he felt he had to tell. Hoping that honesty would be rewarded with honesty, Neji simply said, "TenTen is going to be my date for Hinata-sama's birthday party."

Lee's face very nearly literally lit up. As it was he was flailing around, sparkles reflecting off him left and right. It was a maddening display. "Neji, I am exceedingly happy that you have finally given in to the call of youth and melted your icy heart enough to accept TenTen into its youthful embrace!"

"What?" Neji asked. There seemed to be no other appropriate response.

There was no response as Lee clenched one first dramatically, his eyes over flowing with tears—Neji would not go so far as to call them manly in anyway. "The depth of your love shall surely inspire generations to come! It shall be a love like…"

"There's no love!" He HAD to make that perfectly clear. The idea of him loving TenTen was absurd. Not that she wasn't nice enough and everything, but if he was in love with her he would be the first one to know it. And he didn't, so he wasn't. "She's just my date, Lee. No love."

"Oh." Neji couldn't decide if his best friend looked more disappointed or angry. "In that case, I must challenge you for TenTen's honor!"

"What?" This was, Neji concluded, his default response with Lee.

"Yes! We must have a match before I will allow you to take TenTen's heart into your cold-hearted hands!" There were literally flames in Lee's eyes as he said this, which was slightly creepy.

"TenTen's heart has nothing to do with this." Why was Lee so convinced they loved each other, anyway? "It's just a date for her too."

Lee looked skeptical, and Neji suddenly found himself doubting what he'd said. He had to remind himself that TenTen couldn't possibly have feelings for him. She wasn't like other kunoichi. She had goals of strength she wanted to accomplish, and love would be a weakness for her while she tried to achieve them. And if there was one thing TenTen could not tolerate, more than any of them, it was weakness and dependence in any form.

She couldn't possibly love him.

"Nevertheless, TenTen is my friend, and I have sworn to protect her!" Lee punched his fist dramatically for emphasis here. "We will fight, my great rival, so that I may be assured you will not harm our delicate flower."

'TenTen isn't delicate,' his mind protested. Instead Neji simply said, "If I win, you will tell me about TenTen's family."

Lee hesitated for only a split second before nodding. "And if I win, you must agree to find another kunoichi to accompany you."

"What? No!" Neji scowled darkly, dropping his hands to his sides in tight fists. "I picked TenTen because she's the only one suited to accompany me."

There was a predatory look in the grin that Neji never would have associated with Rock Lee until right that moment. "Then you must try you're hardest to win, Neji. I will fight my hardest to protect our teammate from your unworthy advances."

Never before had anyone called him unworthy of pursuing any female he chose, and it was the most humiliating experience in recent memory. He could date anyone he chose, thank you very much, and he didn't need Rock Lee's approval to do so! If he wanted to go on a date with TenTen, then he could damn well do so! "Fine, I accept your challenge."

Lee nodded, the grin on his face morphing into one of excitement. "Then we shall meet at our practice field in a half-hour's time. I will find Guy-sensei so he may judge the match."

Neji made a noise that was calculated to express both his agreement and his displeasure. Right now, he definitely didn't want Guy-sensei there to stop him from throttling his teammate.

The green clad Chuunin stuck out his thumb, striking an all too familiar nice guy pose. "Be warned, Neji-kun. It is my youthful promise that this time I will not lose to you!"


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Now for some action writing…yay. I think I'm actually getting worse at these.

For my Guy vs. Gai rant, see Chapter 2.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 6_

"You are early, my most accomplished student." Guy-sensei said this with a frown, making it seem just a little like a bad thing. "Could it be you are finally feeling the passionate fires of youth?"

Inwardly, Neji sulked. He could be passionate if he chose. He just wasn't passionate about the same things Lee and Guy-sensei were—or at the very least, not in the same way. That didn't mean he had no passion for anything. "I have stuff I need to do."

Maybe that was about as vague as you could get, but it was still accurate. He had to stop by Hinata's room and get a progress report once they were done here.

Guy-sensei accepted this with little more than a curt nod, and Neji wondered if his teacher was mad at him for something. He hoped not, because it was Lee that had challenged HIM after all, not the other way around. All Neji had done was ask a simple question.

He never got the chance to ask his former teacher about it as Lee appeared in the clearing at that moment, as serious as Neji had ever seen him.

"Alright, my youthful students. I will stop the match when either of you can no longer fight." To Neji's surprise, Guy's eyes shot over to Lee and not himself. "You must stop when I say to."

"Yes, Guy-sensei!" Lee saluted, as he always did. Neji just nodded.

Guy-sensei returned the nod, and for the first time that day that Neji had seen, he grinned one of his sparkling smiles. "The let us kindle our passionate flames with an excellent match. Begin!"

Neji hadn't even had time to quite process that speech before Lee was moving, flying at him with a speed that would have intimidated someone that hadn't trained with him for the past five years.

The Hyuuga's hands flew through the seals he'd had memorized since before he could write his name, ending up with a hand in front of his face. "Byakugan!"

The world shifted from clear color in to something else; a world where everything was outlined in white with all the details contrasting starkly against a black background. The only exceptions to this were the blue chakra coils of his sensei, and the oddly formed ones of Rock Lee.

Many assumed that Lee couldn't use chakra, which was blatantly untrue. His body just had a different way of forming and dispensing it.

For example, he could see Lee gathering chakra to his feet and to the fist that would shortly be connected with Neji's head. Neji ducked, already reaching out to seal some chakra points. Much to his chagrin, Lee flipped backwards and sprung away.

"You're getting to slow, Neji-kun." He didn't have to see it to imagine the insufferable grin on Lee's face. There had been a time, long ago, when he could have beaten Lee easily, without resorting to any clan techniques. That day was long gone.

Lee was moving towards him again, rushing forward with all speed, into what Neji knew too well was his Leaf Strong Wind attack. It would be easy enough to leap away, but he wanted to end this quickly.

Instead, Neji focused his chakra in the correct places, before launching forward. "Eight trigrams empty palm!"

The stream of blue light shot forward. If it had been anyone else, they probably would have preformed a substitution jutsu, but all Lee could do was try and shield himself as he was thrown backwards.

This was why the two of them rarely spared. Both the gentle fist and strong fist fighting styles required close range to work. So, while you didn't want your opponent to get to close, it was necessary in order to do damage on your own.

He'd overestimated how far Lee would go, and it unfortunately put him out of sixty-four palms range. Neji cursed under his breath, and assumed a defensive stance. Going on the offensive with Lee wasn't generally a good idea.

It was also an unnecessary one. As predicted, Lee raced forward, knowing he had to disable Neji before the Hyuuga could land a solid hit.

What followed was something that probably looked like a choreographed dance to the untrained eye. Lee would strike, and Neji would block. From that position, the Hyuuga would try to hit, only to have Lee spring away as fast as possible and try his attack from another angle.

Neji had to grudgingly admit that his teammate had gotten much better at dodging his attacks in the years he had known him.

He briefly entertained the thought of performing his empty palm or heavenly spin techniques, but decided against it. That much chakra at this close of a range was likely to do more damage then Neji would like for a friendly spar—no matter how annoyed he was with Lee.

This was probably the same reason Lee hadn't used any of his more advanced techniques either. The stakes really just weren't worth injuring them both so much. Neji didn't know how long they'd been going at it, but it seemed to be going on forever.

Genius or not, Lee was undeniably faster. Even with 360 degree vision, he couldn't follow his teammate all the time. The Hyuuga genius had barely had time to register that his opponent had dodged once again before he felt a kick connect quite solidly with his chin.

He knew what Lee was going to do, and while mildly surprised knew that he could not let him complete it. Older now or not, the lotus probably still hurt.

Forcing himself to twist in midair, as TenTen had taught him, Neji smirked as Lee appeared right where he had expected. "Eight trigrams, sixty four palms."

As far as Neji knew, no one had ever tried to do this from a horizontal position before. He was pleased to find it was possible, as his hands shot out to hit each hole. His driving force increased their speed as the fell, and Neji made a note of this for future battles because driving your opponent into the ground was always a painful and effective way of ending them. Because it was Lee, however, he stopped after thirty-two strikes and caught him so the both rolled harmlessly onto the ground. Neji got to his feet while Lee sat up woozily.

"Most impressive, my youthful students," Guy was grinning now, whatever animosity he had before seemingly forgotten. "The will of fire indeed glows strong in you both. However, only one of you is victor. Neji!"

It amazed Neji that his former-sensei could sound so excited while saying this. Lee made no secret that, while it was no longer his ultimate goal to beat Neji, it was still on his top ten list of things he'd like to do. And they all knew that Lee was Guy's favorite of the three of them, whatever their teacher may have claimed to the contrary.

TenTen had always theorized that this was because she and Neji had turned down his offer for a tearful, sunset lit embrace, and Neji always privately thought she was right.

Neji said nothing to his former teacher, who was still gloating about how much his students had grown. Instead, he walked over to Lee and offered his friend a hand up.

He didn't tell Lee it was a good match, but the tired half smile told Neji that he understood it anyway. "Your skills have much improved, Neji-kun. Of course, I should expect no less from a Jounin to a Chuunin."

He wanted to tell Lee that he was impressed with how well he had fought, and congratulate him on managing to take him off guard for a moment, but the words got lost somewhere. Instead he pulled his hand back to his side and quietly asked, "will you tell me about TenTen's family now?"

"That was my promise," Lee sighed, almost dramatically. "But I think it is better if you see for yourself. Can you meet me here after dark?"

TenTen should be done for the day by then, so Neji nodded in response. If Lee said he would show him, then he would.

"Lee, my hot-headed former student!" Guy-sensei called, waving him over. "Let us run a thousand laps around the village while discussing where you could have improved this match, so that next time you may beat your rival!"

His green-clad teammate turned, all but vibrating with excitement, "yes, Guy-sensei!"

Neji ran some mental calculations before deciding it was fine to let them go with that. They could finish a thousand before dark. Besides, he still had to go check up on TenTen and her new girl-sensei.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Ugh, I feel like crap this morning. However, this story is mostly to get me in the habit of writing every morning, come whatever. Therefore, even though it might be crap because I feel like crap I'm still writing and posting it.

The logic for TenTen's past as present here? …Basically, her absolute zero tolerance policy for dependence and weakness. I know the fillers aren't canon, but that's all we really have to go off of with TenTen's personality, and her disgust with Ranmaru for his dependence on Raiga is the basis of that. Furthermore…she and Haku, when you place pictures of them side by side, look kind of a like. Not exactly so, but their face shape, hair style/color, and eye shape and color are similar enough to strike me as maybe being from the same clan, if not directly related.

Yes, the history is the same as "The Forgotten", which is how Naruto knows, if you were wondering. This is because it is my own personal canon for TenTen, and will not change from story to story. Similarly, Lee also a history of his mother being very young when he was born, and very poor, so she worked quite a lot and was not home much while he was growing up.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 7_

TenTen was already gone by the time Neji got back, and Hinata was all but glowing with praise about her. She reported that the pair of them had mastered bowing, and gotten through a good portion of the complicated rules for kneeling and entering and exiting a room, and how do to so when the others inside were sitting, standing, or kneeling.

Hinata maintained that because this wasn't all knew stuff to TenTen, just an elaboration on basics she already knew, that progress would be fast and continual. Given Hinata's tendency to exaggerate in favor of her friends, Neji was less optimistic. Besides, it was one thing to learn a lesson the day it was taught. It was quite another to remember it under pressure.

He was musing about this, trying to recall the quality of TenTen's performance on pop quizzes, when he returned to his meeting spot with Lee. It was just getting dark, and no one was there. For a moment, the Hyuuga prodigy wondered if he miscalculated how much time it would take Lee to run his laps.

He didn't have long to wait though, as his teammate popped up from the bushes and silently motioned him forward. He took the cue from Lee that they were supposed to be stealthy and silent, since his teammate so rarely was so that it must be a necessity. Neji found this most interesting.

Neji heard their target long before he realized that was where they were heading. Voices, angry yelling voices, could be heard cutting through the still night. It was when they became audible that Neji realized they were heading directly toward the house the voices resided in.

"Whore! Slut! You're worse than a prostitute!" A male voice shouted. "At least they get paid for what they're doing. You just want the pleasure…"

"Why shouldn't I?" Neji had worried, for a moment, about who might respond, but he didn't recognize the female voice. "It's your fault that I don't have anything familiar to comfort me. Why shouldn't I take it where I can get it?"

"You knew what I was when you married me!"

"No, I knew what you could do. I didn't know you were a monster that would slaughter innocent people!"

"THEY slaughtered US!"

Lee motioned for Neji to crouch silently down in the bushes, which he did so without complaint. Between the three of them, rank mattered very little.

His teammate crouched beside him, eyes dark as he stared up at the house. "This is where TenTen lives."

Neji frowned, wishing the voices would quite down a little so he could think. "Are those two…her parents?"

"As TenTen puts it, they gave birth to her, and nothing more." Lee was all out scowling now, which looked so foreign on his face that Neji almost laughed. Lee didn't scowl. He sulked and sparkled and cried and a whole range of other expressions, among which scowling was never listed. How much didn't he know about his teammates?

Deciding not to dwell on that question for now, Neji focuses his eyes on the ramshackle little house. It looked just like every other house in Konoha. "What did he mean, you knew what I was?"

Lee looked at him for a long moment, as if measuring something. Neji must have been found suitable, as Lee nodded sharply only once before answering. "TenTen's family was originally from Mist. Her father was from a prestigious clan there. Her parents went in to hiding from those that would have killed him for this, but they were discovered when TenTen was four-years-old. They fled here for protection."

The history lessons about the clan-slaying in Mist was one Neji had never forgotten. As a child he'd even sometimes had nightmares about the other ninja of Konoha coming and slaying the Hyuuga in the night. He'd even been sure that was what happened to the Uchiha before the real story got out. He really didn't want to think about what her father must have experienced right now. "If he…then TenTen must…"

Lee simply nodded again before standing. "You should stay hidden, Neji-kun. TenTen will kill us both if she finds out I led you here."

"But what are you doing?" Neji hissed after his teammate, though still suppressing his own chakra to be undetectable and retreating deeper in the shadows. Lee didn't answer, instead stepping to the edge of the tree line and giving one shrill whistle, one that sounded something like a loud birdcall.

The voices inside, now loudly trading blame for who's fault it was they were driven from their homeland, didn't even faultier at the noise. A sliding door upstairs, which opened up on to a balcony, did open, however, and the whistle returned. Soon, TenTen appeared with a bowl of rice in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. She jumped down without spilling a grain.

"If I'd known you were coming, Lee, I would have made more." Her grin was a little lop-sided as she sat down on the low stoop, and Lee walked over to drop beside her.

"You're eating dinner later than usual." Lee observed as TenTen broke her chopsticks neatly down the middle. It didn't escape Neji's notice that both the bowl and chopsticks were of the disposable variety.

"Yeah, there's a reason for that. Neji finally asked me out on a date." Lee opened his mouth to say something, but TenTen held up a hand to silence him. "It's not like that, though. It's Hinata's birthday party, so it's this huge formal thing. More than that, I have to get approved before I'm allowed to attend, so they're making me go to this big fancy dinner in a week. So Neji, the blockhead, decided that I should take lessons from Hinata so I wouldn't, and I quote, 'embarrass myself'."

When she said it like that, with the bitter tone in her voice, Neji could see why she'd been so upset. He winced a little at his own stupidity. He hadn't meant it to be an insult to her, but it obviously sounded that way.

Lee fidgeted a little, but kept himself from looking in Neji's direction, which was appreciated. "I am certain that our esteemed teammate didn't mean to insult you, TenTen."

"No, I know he didn't. And that almost makes it worse." As TenTen cut off her speech by shoving a bunch of the plain rice into her mouth, Neji tried to figure this logic out. By the time she had finished chewing, he'd given it up as futile. It couldn't be logic, because it really made no sense.

Lee stood, a grin on his face that lacked its usual sparkle. "I did not come here to speak harshly about our teammate in his absence. I came to see your progress on the jutsu we spoke of earlier."

TenTen nodded in response, her mouth full of more rice. She put her bowl down, hands hesitating only slightly when the yelling changed to the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, with cries of rage and pain.

Bowl set aside, she stood and looked around. "They're probably busy enough. He found her with another man in their bed this afternoon. Again. And he was drunk enough to care this time." She brushed non-existent debris of her pants. "That's what I've gathered, anyway."

Their green-clad teammate made a noise of quiet agreement before the kunoichi looked up and ran up the side of the building in to her balcony again. Neji wondered if she ever used the other entrances to the house, and concluded it wasn't likely. She probably associated with her parents as little as possible.

He remembered, now, days at the Academy when the parents were supposed to come—the first day, Parent's nights, and graduation—the three members of Team Guy had always been alone. For Neji, this was because both his parents were dead, the Main family too important, and the other Branch members too busy. Lee told him later about his mother's busy work schedule, trying to hold down three jobs, and that though she wanted to come she could never make it. The other boy never mentioned his father, and Neji was certain that Lee even knew who he was.

While Neji had sulked in the shadows, and Lee had avoided the eyes of the other proud parents and happy students, TenTen had seemed content to be alone. She had talked with the teachers, Iruka-sensei in particular, with a grin so brilliant it was hard to believe she had faked it. Neji had never wondered about it before, at the time he hadn't cared, and now he didn't have to. The explanation was in front of him.

TenTen returned with a bucket full of water, which she set down on the ground. "Naruto told me about how they met someone from my clan on their first mission outside the village. Kakashi-sensei happened to have his sharingan exposed at the time, and while he couldn't copy the Jutsu he did memorize the seals."

Lee looked excited about this, practically bouncing up and down. "Does that mean you'll be able to master it, without your father's help?" It was such an odd contrast between his happy expression, and the noises of anger and breaking that came from inside the house, that Neji didn't know whether to laugh or feel ill.

It also struck him as weird how she could be sixteen-years-old, nearly seventeen, and not have a mastery of her blood limit. He wondered if her father was forbidden to teach her, or just didn't, and resolved to ask Lee about it later.

TenTen nodded, the grin on her face nearly as goofy as Lee's. "I haven't got it all figured out yet, from what Naruto described, but I can do this much." Her hands launched into a series of seals, and the water raised out of the bucket to form a sleek mirror of ice.

Lee made an excited noise of appreciation. "That is amazing, TenTen! Surely, you will have the rest figured out in no time!"

Their female teammate flushed at the praise, something Neji could never remember seeing before. "Naruto described something like the person being inside the mirror, and using great speed to get from one to the other while throwing weapons. I can't figure out how to get inside, but when I do..." She scratched her head, in a rather childish gesture. "Lee, when I'm done with this ridiculous training of Neji's, will you work on my speed with me? From the way Naruto made it sound, the technique will get more effective the faster I can go."

"Yes!" Lee pumped his fist in the air before striking a nice guy pose, not missing the glisten this time that made Neji's eyes burn. "It would be my honor to help you improve anyway I can, TenTen."

With a grin, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Lee, you're the best!"

Neji had seen enough. He felt sick, though he didn't know exactly why, and a little sad after watching the display. It was understandable he should feel such things after seeing how difficult his friend's life had been, but seeing that she had Lee to be there for her should have made him feel better. It didn't.

Silently, he took off into the trees, leaving the two of them alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** On the plus side, I feel better today. On the down side, I have no idea how long that is going to last. Teeth pain is rather unpredictable.

For the record, I love Ino to death. I think she's an incredibly fun character. I just don't think Neji would like her much.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 8_

Neji hadn't intended to confront Lee about what he was shown. He'd meant to just let the matter rest and continue on as they always had.

That was before he spent the whole night tossing and turning, unable to get that kiss out of his head. Lee had claimed that love had sprung up between Neji and TenTen, which wouldn't make sense if TenTen was Lee's girlfriend, and maybe she was because TenTen's name was the only one he ever said without a suffix, but maybe he'd only been saying it to hear Neji deny it, but that was too subtle for Lee, and TenTen wouldn't have agreed to a date with him if she was Lee's girlfriend—maybe they had a very open relationship— of course maybe she hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings, and…

It was getting him no where, all this thoughts circling in a jumble like that. He certainly wasn't given to thinking in run on sentences. He didn't like it. If the only way to make it stop was to ask Lee about it, then so be it.

He left at first light to the training field where Lee would inevitably be this time of day. Sure enough, the younger green-clad member of Team Guy was already there, beating a log senseless as the log attempted to hit him back.

It was spooky how well he knew the routines of those around him.

When Lee didn't take any notice of his entrance into the clearing, Neji bent and picked up a rock. Subtle so rarely worked on Lee, and seeing that pebble bounce off his friend's thick skull gave the Hyuuga an almost scary amount of satisfaction.

Lee whirled; ready to attack whomever it was that had dared throw a rock at him. When his round eyes landed on Neji, however, he broke out into an impossibly wide grin. "My great rival! What a surprise to you so early in the morning. Have you come to refresh yourself at the fountain of youth with great training and…"

"Are you and TenTen dating?" The amount of killing intent that accompanied that question took Neji off guard. He wasn't mad at Lee, really. Being mad would imply that he cared, and he didn't, he just wanted to know. Didn't he?

"TenTen once told me that since we were alone, we could be each others family." Lee's face was incredibly serious as he said this, more so than Neji had ever though it could be. "That is how I still feel about her. She is the sister-of-my-heart, who I will protect with my life. Nothing more or less than that."

The breath Neji hadn't quite processed that he was holding came out with a small whoosh. The reasons for his feeling so utterly relieved at hearing Lee say that would have to meditated about later. Right now he just felt…glad. This was probably the most disconcerting thing of all.

"Fair TenTen's heart belongs to another," Lee shook his head, looking utterly miserable. "I fear that he will break it, one day, if he is not careful, and rob our fair TenTen of the sunshine of her youth forever."

"So, she does have a boyfriend?" The anger was back, and Neji felt that his life had become a rollercoaster. A most unpleasant rollercoaster with no off platform in sight.

"No, so far she has suffered, silent and resolute, through the pain of unrequited love. She does not complain, but her youth is dwindling even as I watch, forced to wilt by the callous words and ignorance of her beloved." Lee was crying, again, and, again, Neji was certain that manly was not the word to describe it, whatever Lee chose to call them.

The anger settled down somewhere in his stomach, leaving Neji with the feeling that he'd just swallowed whole a large boulder. Why should he care if TenTen had a crush on someone? Sure, he'd always thought his teammate to be above such weaknesses that usually plagued kunoichi. However, it hadn't affected her performance, as far as Neji knew, and if she didn't complain about it, he couldn't really fault her. Both of those were much more than most girls could do. So, why did he care so much? "Who…"

"I have already betrayed her trust in me once, Neji-kun." Lee's eyes left no room for argument, even if his body language screamed of over-dramatic acting. "Do not ask me to do it again."

He found he could respect that.

----------

The note on Hinata's door told him to meet her and TenTen at Ino's place. This did not bode well. It seemed like every time he turned around, that girl was popping up somewhere in his new whirlwind existence.

It wasn't that he disliked Ino, exactly. More that her personality didn't sit very well with him. She was probably an all right person by somebody's definition.

When he opened the door to the flower shop, the welcoming tinkling of the bell was drowned out by a yell of fury from somewhere above his head. He glanced at Inoichi, who was lazing behind the counter. The older Jounin simply motioned to the stairs with one hand, not even bothering to lower his newspaper.

As he ascended the stairs, the voices became clearer, and the only reason he didn't turn and flee back down was because his pride wouldn't let him run. Shikamaru would have called it troublesome, and Neji couldn't think of a better word.

"Hold her down, Hinata!" Ino's voice was as painful as Neji remembered.

"I-I'm trying." Hinata's volume was far greater than Neji could remember hearing before, and he was momentarily impressed. "TenTen, please hold still."

"No, you're hurting me! Get off!"

He was in the room before he'd even finished processing what TenTen had said. They were supposed to be helping her get ready, not harming her! The door flung bounced off the wall, and all three girls turned to stare at him. At this point, Neji rather wished he'd knocked first.

They were a tangle of arms and legs, with TenTen seated in a chair, being held there by both the younger kunoichi. Ino had a brush in her hand, and TenTen's hair was down, so he could only assume they'd been trying a different style.

More embarrassing than that, by far, was TenTen's state of dress. Or lack of it. She'd been stripped of her shirt and chest bindings, leaving her with only a bra. A nice little practical white bra, that was probably quite functional, but left all her skin above and below open for viewing.

Neji thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head. On his list of things he thought he'd see…ever…this was pretty close to the bottom. Faintly, he could hear Lee's promise to protect her playing in his head, and he wondered why that was.

TenTen was more well-endowed than Neji had supposed. Not, of course, that he'd ever actually thought about it, but if he had he would have thought TenTen's chest to be rather small. Apparently, those bindings did more than he thought because, while smaller than Hinata's, they were still fairly…

WHY was even thinking about this?

It was Hinata who finally broke the awkward silence that had descended. "Neji-niisan! What are you doing?"

"I-I thought there was trouble." Was he stuttering? Oh, hell, he was!

"Idiot! Get out of here!" Ino threw the brush, which he ducked on instinct. The rest of the items flying his direction would be much harder to avoid, so he slammed the door shut. He could swear he heard one of those heels sink into the wood.

As he leaned against the door, struggling to get his breath to return to normal—why he was panting he didn't have a clue—Neji decided one thing. It was probably time to get some help before he embarrassed himself further.

It was becoming painfully obvious to him that he didn't know the first thing about girls. Their secret ways were startling and, worse, seemed to make it very difficult for him to control his body and emotions. Losing control was somewhere near number 2 on Neji's personal list of things he hated the most. He needed some back-up or some advice on how to get through the next thirteen days, or he could kiss his sanity good-bye.

The problem was, he had no idea where to find this sort of help. Did they have listings for missions like this?


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I seem to be getting more devious by the day!

Here's a treat for all my regular readers, who like what I usually write. It's very subtle, though, so don't worry too much about it. This one also came out unusually…artsy. I'm glad I threw Kakashi in there to break it up.

For the record: I also like Sakura quite a lot. But Narrator!Neji finds her useless.

_**View the Puppet Master**_

_**By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 9_

"I was told you could help me with my problem." This wasn't strictly true, of course. He'd gone to see if he could convince Lee to be his back-up—or his shield at least—and overheard Naruto telling Lee that Iruka-sensei gave the best advice about Sakura. Seeing as how the blond was still unsuccessful and still clueless, Neji didn't hold out much hope for it, but it was the only lead he really had.

A quick note slipped onto the mission desk, requesting Iruka-sensei meet him at this place at this time. And, like predictable Iruka-sensei, the man was there exactly as specified.

Well, not exactly. Kakashi-sensei was there, for reasons unknown to Neji, but considering just how difficult it was to get that stupid note to Iruka-sensei without being observed by the other Jounin who had nothing better to do with their lives then sit and torment the desk Chuunin, he wasn't going to wait until a later time when the Copy-Ninja would have something else to do.

Iruka-sensei smiled that same old steady Iruka-sensei smiled. Neji hadn't realized how much he missed something so reliable in his whirlwind existence until just now. "That does sort of depend on the problem, Neji. You weren't very specific. But I'll do my best."

"And I can kill anyone you need me to." Kakashi chirped happily, grinning until Iruka-sensei elbowed him in the chest. "Ow."

Neji blinked and shoved that information away to inspect later. "Naruto said you gave the best advice about Sakura."

Iruka actually groaned, burying his face in his hand. "Don't tell me you like her, too? I already told Naruto that she has her heart set on…"

"No, I don't like Sakura." And this was true, he'd never been all that fond of her. Her medical skills were nice, but that was as far as that went. "But well…Sakura is a girl."

"Very astute." Kakashi deadpanned. "Next you'll be informing us Guy wears green."

There was some scuffling under the table, and Neji wondered if Iruka didn't try to kick the Jounin under the table. The two of them seem oddly physical.

Deciding it was none of his business, and even if it was he didn't want it to be, Neji continued. "I thought that since you could give advice about her, maybe you had advice about other girls."

Iruka-sensei looked like he wanted to say something, then changed his mind halfway through and said something else. "What seems to be the problem, Neji?"

And so the whole story was told over again, his requirement to bring a date and how the training of TenTen didn't seem to be going so well. By the time he'd reached the events of the morning, Kakashi-sensei was laughing. Not coolly chuckling, but all out laughing.

"This is better than a cheesy romance novel," Kakashi was smirking under that mask, Neji could just tell, and it was all he could do not sixty-four palm the older man into oblivion as he leaned his head on his hand. "Do you might if I write this? I hear Jiraiya makes a killing with Icha Icha, and I could use some spare cash myself."

Iruka-sensei, ever so calmly, moved his arm just so and it took Kakashi's elbow right off the table, so the Jounin nearly toppled over. It occurred to Neji that the Copy-Ninja was allowing Iruka-sensei to hit him, probably enjoying it, as all part of his jokes.

Guy-sensei's eternal rival was indeed a very strange person.

"I knew I should have just sent you home," Iruka-sensei mutters, rolling his eyes, before turning back to Neji. "What, exactly, are your feelings for TenTen, Neji?"

"She's my teammate," he says. The look on Iruka-sensei's face tells him the older man doesn't get it, but Neji doesn't know what else to say. They're teammates in the way Guy taught them to be. The man was eccentric, and crazy, and prone to blatant favoritism, but he valued teamwork above all else and would not let them leave until they understood why.

Of course, he and TenTen weren't teammates in the way he and Lee were teammates. He and Lee knew each other well enough, neither willing to leave the other behind, ever. Lee was what Neji imagined having a brother would be like. Someone you could always fight with and now it would be okay tomorrow, because you both knew it wasn't really important. The person you would tell everyone you loathed, but would be your first pick to watch your back when it mattered.

But TenTen…Neji and TenTen were like the inhale and exhale of a breath. Complimentary and necessary. Without TenTen beside him, Neji quite feels safe in battle. It's not that can't handle things himself, it's just that he knows without looking that TenTen is always right there to double his guard. To hit things before he has to. The same way he does for her, getting close to those that would harm her and taking them out before they can try.

When fighting they are double broadswords, two halves of the same weapon, and they work best together. Outside of battle, she's the one he goes to first when frustrated or angry because she never asks why, just accepts it and lets him work it out. He spends more time with her than anyone else because TenTen does not judge, and TenTen doesn't ask, and TenTen can fly for him when clan roots hold him down and he doesn't mind.

Iruka-sensei's smile softens as all of this is left unsaid, and Neji wonders if maybe the other man can't hear him still, the way he seemed to when Neji was just a child in his class. "Until you're ready to honestly answer that question, Neji, there isn't much I can do for you. I can give you general advice about young ladies to help you avoid situations like this morning if you'd like, though."

Neji scowled. He'd been honest!

"I've got advice. Never take on more than one at a time. I don't care how sweet they seem." Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "And that's not something I learned through Icha Icha, either."

He didn't want to know, Neji decided. It might be something innocent, but he doubted it, and he really REALLY didn't want to know.

"You don't always have to tread cautiously around women." Iruka-sensei was obviously ignoring Kakashi, and Neji followed his lead. "You've had plenty of conversations with TenTen that haven't involved her getting angry with you, right?"

Neji nodded. It had actually only been in the last year or so that she seemed to get mad at him and even that had been a rare thing until very recently.

"Well, there are a few topics which you should speak of very carefully, or avoid entirely if you can." Iruka-sensei reached over and pulled the notepad Kakashi-sensei had pulled from somewhere out of the Jounin's hands, without even glancing over. "One of those is looks. If it's her hair, her eyes, her clothes, anything, it is essential that you pick the words you are going to use most carefully. Because any negative meaning that can be read into it WILL be read into it."

"That's stupid." Neji observed. If he didn't mean anything bad, why should they all assume he did? That seemed rather unfair.

Iruka-sensei just nodded, and took a sip from the water glass before him. They were, after all, in a café. "You have to understand the way girls are brought up to think, Neji. Young girls, kunoichi in particular, are always raised to believe that they have to catch up to the males. If they are trying to catch up, where does that tell them they are automatically starting? Second place."

This sounded vaguely familiar to Neji, like a lecture TenTen had once given him when he complained about Hinata's lack of confidence. He hadn't realized it applied to TenTen herself as well.

"Not only do they believe they are inferior, even if subconsciously, but the measuring stick is always walking right in front of them. In TenTen's case, that's you and Lee. In their own minds, the girls believe they cannot measure up. The head start you had was just too great. And, really, how many really successful kunoichi can you think of? I can think of one, and she's not exactly the best role-model for young girls."

That had to be Tsunade-sama, because Neji couldn't really think of any others. There were female Jounin, but not many of them, and they were all either lower class Jounin, kunoichi that had come in later than their male teammates of the same age, or freaking nuts.

"If their whole lives they're set up to believe they're being looked down on, they're hard-wired to think that's exactly what you're doing. They can't help it." Iruka-sensei was in full lecture mode now. "And yes, some factors like a poor home life can affect this, but even the most confident girls are bothered to some degree."

"When did YOU get so wise about women?" Kakashi's voice was either amused or sulking, and Neji couldn't quite decide which end of the spectrum it was on.

Iruka-sensei just smiled at him. "One, all Academy sensei are required to know the basics of psychology so we know what to look for in our students. Two, Anko."

"Ah," Kakashi-sensei said, as if that explained everything. For some reason, Neji found that it did.

"So, really," Iruka-sensei continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, "whenever you're talking to the girls about anything relating to them, specifically, it always best to keep in mind that they believe they aren't good enough, and do your best to make sure you aren't misunderstood."

Neji nodded. He'd grasped the concept, but now it was time to practice. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei. You've been most helpful. Kakashi-sensei…you were not."

The Jounin grinned at him, visible eye curving in mirth. "I do my best."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** In a true test of commitment to my writing time, I am actually NOT doing my homework this morning like I should. But I'm trying to make this a habit, so I can't break it.

Speaking of which…you all have be so awesome reading this everyday! That's a feat greater than you'd think. Thank you so much.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 10_

Neji felt just a little more sure of himself as he entered the flower shop for the second time that day. The talk with Iruka-sensei had helped, but so did the lack of screaming. He couldn't help looking up, waiting for it, as the door slid shut behind him.

Inoichi grinned at him from where he was still sitting behind the counter. "They've been quiet for a while now, so either someone died or things are going better."

Not the most comforting thought, because of that group Hinata was the most likely casualty and Hiashi-sama would never forgive him. Without saying a word to the apron-clad Jounin, Neji marched himself quickly up the stairs. He could hear voices inside the room, and this time he knocked.

To his immense relief, it was Hinata that opened the door. She smiled at him after a momentary look of surprise. "Neji-niisan! I didn't think you'd be back today."

He simply shrugged. No way was he admitting he'd gone to find help. It had been humiliating enough having to ask.

"Neji is back?" Ino sounded ridiculously happy about this, and something inside Neji died a little. Ino happy was not good for him. "Good! Maybe he can talk some sense into TenTen."

Hinata stepped aside, allowing him into the room. It was only through years of breeding and training that Neji didn't gape at what he found there. Ino's room looked like a war zone. Aside from the six inch heel, which was indeed stuck in the door, there were kunai stuck into every available surface. The chair, the dresser, the bed, they all looked like they'd been turned into pin cushions. Each individual stuffed deer on Ino's bed—she had several of them—had a kunai right through its heart, which was a disturbing image in and of itself.

Ino was standing on one side of the room, a grin on her face. This seemed horribly wrong, her room was now a battle zone, but then he saw the tears in her eyes. It seemed the only reason she was smiling was because she would be crying otherwise. There was a weird feeling in Neji's chest, and he realized he felt bad for her. Ino could be obnoxious, sure, but she hadn't asked to have this dumped on her either.

TenTen, on the other hand, was crouched in a corner by the bed, and resembled Hanabi's cat the one time he and Hinata had to catch it. They'd backed it into a corner, and it had had that look right before lashing out at scratching Neji's face.

Hanabi hadn't appreciated having her cat returned with a few minor internal injuries. Inuzuka Hana hadn't been happy with him either.

After giving the room one more survey, Neji strode toward his friend and assumed his most intimidating look. "What did Guy-sensei say about using your attacks indoors?"

TenTen glared defiantly back at him, her loose hair hanging down over one eye as she did so. "This was an extreme circumstance! You don't understand, Neji, they…they…"

"We just wanted to trim her hair," Ino sighed in exasperation. She must have decided Neji had the situation under control as she started removing some of the kunai. "Not even actually cut it! Just take off a quarter of an inch at the bottom to get rid of split ends."

"I do not have split ends!" TenTen screeched. That was only word Neji could think to describe it. A screech that made his ears ring and his eyes momentarily throb.

"Everyone has splint ends, TenTen," Hinata murmured in her most placating tone. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Neji grabbed his friend's wrists before she could reach for any more sharp things to hurl at them. "TenTen this is silly."

He hadn't meant to really say that, and a little voice in his head told him that Iruka-sensei would disapprove. But, honestly, it was! Neji liked his hair well enough, and it was Hyuuga tradition to cut it as little as possible, but that didn't mean attacking people to avoid a trim.

It was just hair, it always grew back.

TenTen looked up at him, momentarily startled, and for the first time Neji realized just how close they were. If he leaned forward just a fraction of an inch more, their noses would be touching.

His first instinct was to pull back, but he didn't. He didn't because TenTen didn't, and somehow it didn't matter if Ino and Hinata were still standing right there because all he could see where her eyes staring up at him.

"I don't know why you're upset." Neji didn't know where these words were coming from, but they sounded good, so he could work with them. "It's probably a valid reason. But behavior like this is unseemly for a kunoichi as strong as you are."

"Neji…" TenTen's voice was a breath. It didn't even qualify as a whisper. Neji could see a little pink rising in her face, and decided to lean back if it was making her that uncomfortable. He didn't let go of her, though.

"I realize that I'm asking a lot from you." Oh, how he knew it. It was unfair to subject anyone to the mess that was the Hyuuga clan when they didn't have to be. And he was asking her to try and be someone totally different, if only for a little while.

He realized, after what Iruka-sensei had said, how that might hurt her. He'd essentially told her that she wasn't good enough for him. That would hurt the feelings of even the most stalwart person, and the thought that he'd hurt TenTen like that made him sick inside.

So, yes, he knew very well that he was asking too much of her to be fair.

"I know it's a lot to cope with, and it isn't fair." He started again. "I wouldn't ask you to do it if it were up to me. I like you the way you are. I don't make the rules. And if you want to stop you can, anytime."

TenTen's eyes had widened considerably when the phrase 'like you' had left his mouth, but when he got to the end she shook her head. "You said I was strong enough to do this, and I won't let you down."

In spite of himself, an actual smile worked its way onto Neji's face. It wasn't a smirk, or one of his half smiles, but a real one. Because the idea that TenTen was willing to do this, for him, did something odd. It made him feel warm all over.

He should have asked Iruka-sensei about all his odd feelings when he'd had the chance.

It was only after he'd helped her to her feet that Neji released her hands, though they still felt warm where he had been holding them.

Only once she was standing did Neji see just how long TenTen's hair was. She was dressed fully again, thankfully, and the bottom of her hair met the bottom of her shirt. It was brown with just a little bit of wave to it. It didn't surprise him, though, to see that it looked a little weather-worn, though clean. TenTen had never struck him as the kind of girl to really care about her appearance, and with her hair always up so it was out of her way, he doubted she thought about it much at all.

He found this amusing, but the reason why that was so escaped him.

This was maddening! Usually he was completely in control, and had a reason for everything he did. It was all calculate, all thought out, all logical. But somehow, in the last few days, his emotions had slipped the leash he'd put them on, and seemed to be going crazy with their new found freedom. If he didn't coral them soon, he might do something stupid like…like kissing TenTen!

…Why had that even come to mind? Worse still, why did he desperately want to do that now? He'd never kissed anyone in his life. Not even a little peck on the cheek. Neji was not a physical person, didn't like the contact, and a desire to hold TenTen in his arms and kiss her until she saw stars was so…not him.

He half suspected Ino of getting control of him, but this had been going on too long for something like that. It had to be something inside him that had gotten out of sorts. He'd figure it out and fix it later.

"I'm sorry about your room, Ino. I'll help fix it later if you…" TenTen's gaze fell on the deer and she winced. "Well, I can sew, anyway."

Ino gestured vaguely to the chair they been in the first time Neji had come in. "Just sit. We'll worry about it later. The fabrics are going to be here soon."

It was probably most amusing, from an outsiders perspective, that both Neji and TenTen cocked their heads a little to the side and asked, at the same time, "fabrics?"

Ino and Hinata found it so, anyway, as it was difficult to get them to stop giggling after that.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Welcome to my morning from hell. Anyway, continuing the habit making…

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 11_

A half-hour later, Neji knew exactly what Ino had meant by fabrics.

Inoichi looked about as disgruntled as Neji felt to have most of the living part of his house filled with bolts of shimmering fabric. If Hinata hadn't already profusely apologized for the inconvience, and explained the necessity of doing this somewhere other than the Hyuuga compound, Neji would have done so.

Hinata was just better at apologizing than he was, anyway.

Ino, on the other hand, looked to be in seventh heaven. She was exclaiming over this pattern or that color or the quality of the cloth. She kept shooting sideways glances over at her father, who was steadfastly ignoring her.

TenTen, on the other hand, looked like she'd just been forced to taste some of Guy-sensei's cooking.

The seamstress, a cheerful looking woman Neji didn't remember having met before, waved at them all enthusiastically. "Now, which of you young ladies was lucky enough to snag a date with a Hyuuga boy?"

She better not have been including him in that young ladies statement. There would be nothing to stop him bringing down her wrath on her if she was. And what did she mean lucky? As far as Neji was concerned, there were very few things that should be considered less fortunate. Even the horrible experience of seeing Guy-sensei in a Speedo was better, in some cases.

Hinata giggled behind her hand, shooting him a look he couldn't read.

"I guess that's me," TenTen muttered, raising her hand. She looked miserable, and Neji stopped blaming her for it a few seconds later as the seamstress attacked.

She pulled and pinched every part of TenTen she could reach, exclaiming over her—now an inch shorter—hair, her lovely eyes, pale skin, and how this young man must have seen something really special in her, she was a very lucky young lady.

"No, I…it's not like…" TenTen looked at him helplessly, and Neji could only shrug. He was doing his best to remain hidden so the seamstress wouldn't realize this 'handsome devil' she kept talking about was standing right there. The day was awkward enough without that, thank you very much.

Although that did sort of confirm he'd been included in the young ladies category, which Neji couldn't help scowling at. He did NOT look like a woman!

"Well, dear, Hinata-sama gave me some suggestions and I broght the finest fabrics I have that fit that description. Pick what ever one you like for your kimonos." The seamstress said.

TenTen blanched, turning to face them all again. "Hinata, I appreciate it but I really can't…I don't have the money to…"

"I'll buy it for you." Neji decided it was an odd experience, having words you hadn't even thought yet come flying out your mouth. "As an early New Year's present."

All three girls stared at him, wide-eyed. So was the seamstress, but he was hoping that was because she'd finally realized he was a man.

"Neji," TenTen's breathless voice was back, and Neji swallowed hard against the sudden constricting of his throat. "No, I-I couldn't. It's too much. I'd never be able to…"

"Are you insane," Neji heard Ino hiss to her. "This isn't an offer you'll get every day! Take it."

"I insist." He knew he had the funds. Everything he needed was taken care of by the clan, so almost all his earnings from missions were just sitting in a bank. And he liked the idea of spending some of that on TenTen. She'd fought hard and worked hard with him over the last few years; she deserved something nice as a reward.

"Well I…" TenTen still looked uncomfortable, but there was a tiny trace of a smile on her face now. "Thank you."

Neji just nodded in response. The warm feeling was back, starting in his stomach and spreading out until he was unnaturally warm all over. It wasn't unpleasant, exactly, but there was no reason for it and that bothered him.

"I was going to pay for them," Hinata whispered beside him, her face clearly showing her amusement.

"I know." He'd guessed that much. It wasn't in Hinata's nature to expect something like that from a friend, and she'd probably already guessed that TenTen didn't have extra money. Certainly not in this amount. His cousin saw more than she let anyone guess. Probably more than she was aware of herself.

Ino had seized the moment to continue admiring the work of each bolt under the guise of showing them all to TenTen and 'educating' her on the meaning of each plant, the fabric type, the proper care of each one…

It made Neji feel just a little dizzy. He had a couple of Kimono's, with different levels of formality, but they had been chosen for him by Hiashi-sama. This suited Neji just fine, as he and his Uncle seemed to have a similar love of simplicity. He hadn't realized before that there were quite so many things one needed to know just about what was on the kimono.

"I should probably help her," Hinata murmured, more to herself than to Neji. "Ino's going to overwhelm her in a minute."

If she hadn't already, which Neji doubted.

Hinata was just starting to make her way over there when TenTen whirled to face him, clasping her hands together in front of her face. "Which do you like, Neji?"

It was like someone had flipped on a spot-light and directed it at him. He was supposed to have an opinion, all of the sudden?

He decided to delay momentarily, under the guise of surveying the fabrics. Oh, he was looking at them, but not nearly as intently as he was sure he looked.

How was he supposed to know what the right answer was? He didn't have any idea what TenTen's tastes were. He didn't even have anything to base a guess on. He knew she liked things that were functional, as was appropriate for a kunoichi, but there was nothing at all functional about a long cut of fabric that hadn't been shaped into anything yet.

The only real experience with a women's kimono that Neji had was when he was very small, and his mother had been dressing for a formal party. He could blurrily remember her laughing as she slowly spun for him, showing all aspects of the white dress, while explaining what the pattern meant. Three-year-old Neji had thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and even now he'd never seen a girl in one he liked better.

Then his father had come in, dressed to match her, and Neji had thought then that they looked perfect.

The corner of Neji's mouth twitched as his eyes landed on the bolt next to his hand. He had a kimono almost identical to that, of the appropriate formality to wear to Hinata's party. It was so perfect it was as if someone had planned it.

Fate had a name, and her name was Hinata-sama.

"This one," he motioned to the correct piece. "You should have one made from this one for the party."

He caught Hinata's smile out of the corner of his eye, confirming his suspicions that that was exactly what she'd meant to happen.

Now, if only he could figure out why.

Ino looked over, still holding on to TenTen's elbow, and nodded. "That one is nice, and winter appropriate."

"A-and I think this one ought to be the other," Hinata motioned to a piece that Neji could not see. From the way TenTen was craning her neck, she couldn't see it either.

The seamstress nodded, moving to gather up both bolts. Hinata's choice still remained hidden, but Neji didn't mind so much. His cousin obviously had a plan, it was probably best just to go with it.

"Lovely choices," the lady whispered. "Just lovely. Beautiful. I should have picked them myself. Of course Hyuuga's would have such refined taste."

Neji decided right then and there that he didn't like that woman in the slightest.

TenTen had finally escaped Ino's clutches and come over to him. "It's really nice of you to get these for me, Neji. It's really too much. I can't possibly make it up to you."

"Stop it. I want to do this for you; you deserve it." And he meant it, it was obvious to him. So why was TenTen gazing at him in such confusion.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** And after an emotional last couple of chapter, we're back for some fun!

Be warned, there are some OCs in this chapter. They are, however, plot devices only. So just, tolerate them.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 12_

It was a little known fact that the Hyuuga's had their own hot spring on compound property, and they worked very hard to keep it that way. Hyuugas, by nature, were very private individuals.

Neji had found that soaking in the springs usually allowed him to think more clearly. He needed that now more than ever. The day had left him feeling emotionally drained and confused, two things Neji did not enjoy.

His reactions around TenTen today had been completely illogical. The sudden warmth that would wash over him every time he looked at her, when their eyes met, when she smiled…When she'd smiled at him for attempting to compliment her hair and having it come out all jumbled, and sounding like he didn't want it normally, he'd thought for a few seconds that his heart had stopped.

That was NOT normal. People didn't feel like that around others, what was wrong with him?

No answer was forthcoming from the steam, and Neji sank lower into the warm water with a sigh.

His peace, such as it was, was shattered by two loud voices coming from the bath house, and Neji couldn't help snorting through his nose. Twins ran in the Hyuuga family, like the two branch-family boys he could hear now. A part of him wondered if his father and uncle had ever been like them, but the thought was immediately dismissed as impossible.

"Daiki, you go out there first. The older of the twins, Kin, growled. He probably thought he was being quiet.

"No way. Neji will eat me. You go first." This was followed by the sounds of scuffling, in what Neji could only assume was a struggle for one to push the other out the door first.

It was difficult to believe those two were three years older than he was.

Neji closed his eyes, trying to regain his focus. Something was wrong with him, he was sure of it, because what he was experiencing was not normal. It was unsettling. Not that it was unpleasant, but that didn't mean it wasn't wrong to feel such things for his teammate.

"Go on, Dai, it's just a little closer to the edge. I've got your back."

Because he was feeling things. Lots of things, which he couldn't name. TenTen trusted him not to complicate things with inexplicable and uncategorized feelings, and he was letting her down.

"It's not the back part I'm worried about. It's the front bit."

He was a Hyuuga and as such should have perfect control over himself. No, he wasn't just a Hyuuga. He was called the Hyuuga genius, and was supposed to be the ideal. The standard that others looked to when they wanted to see how a Hyuuga behaved.

"Why? There isn't much there anyway." Followed by an indignant yell of rage and more scuffling.

He couldn't simply fall apart because a girl—because TenTen—was…was what? Was controlling him body, mind, and soul as easily as if she had them attached to chakra wire?

Double yelps and a pair of splashes caught derailed Neji's train of thought, forcing him to open his eyes. Daiki and Kin were both now in the water, splashing and spluttering, with their short dark hair hanging in their eyes, and Hotaru laughing behind them.

Hotaru was Neji's great Uncle, a member of the main house. He had been the heir before Hiashi-sama, but had declined the position on the grounds that he just didn't have the right disposition for it. The clan Elders had probably agreed.

Even during Neji's worst days he'd found it hard to hate Hotaru with the rest. His great-uncle had a quick sense of humor, a kind smile, and had always gone out of his way to be nice to Neji. It's difficult to hate someone like that.

The older man put on his most solemn face as he spoke. "Sorry to disturb your solitude, Neji-kun, but these two were going to break down the compound the way they were going at it."

The twins got angrily to their feet, their arguments drowning each other out and making an unintelligible mess.

Neji chose to say nothing as Hotaru lowered himself into the water as well, kicking the twins in the shins and sending them back into the water as he did so. They came up spluttering, to busy coughing up water to continue their incessant chatter.

After a moment of this, Hotaru tilted his head to regard Neji with his pale eyes, and smiled. "You look love-sick, Neji-kun."

He gaped. Love sick? Setting aside the fact that, for the last time, he was NOT in love, how does one even go about distinguishing love sick from a bunch of other emotions? Or other types of sickness?

Unfortunately, the twins must have taken his silence for agreement. They appeared on either side of him, their grins predatory enough to compete with Naruto on a bad day.

"Aw, is ickle baby Neji finally growing into a man?" Kin dodged his elbow easily, which annoyed Neji to no end, while slinging an arm over Neji's shoulder at the same time. "Tell your favorite cousins who she is. To capture your interest, she must be a real looker."

He felt his breath freeze in his chest. How dare Kin talk about TenTen like that! Like she was a piece of art instead of a human being.

"More than a looker. She'd have to be hottest babe ever to grace the planet. I'd like a piece of that." Daiki said.

Neji saw red. It was one thing to tease him, and quite another to insult TenTen in the process. He lashed out unthinkingly, tackling Daiki into the water. It was probably one of the most undignified things Neji had ever done, but he could just add it on to his list of embarrassing things that had happened that day.

"Don't you dare." Neji growled, trying to hold his cousin underwater even as Kin tried to pull him off. "Don't you dare talk about her like that!"

A pair of strong arms wrapped around Neji's middle and lifted him off, pulling him across the bath. Neji only struggled for a few more seconds before giving in. The twins looked terrified, so apparently his message had gotten across.

Once he stopped trying to reach the pair, Hotaru let him go with a laugh. "It appears love sick isn't quite the right word. Looks like 'in love' is more like it."

Neji folded his arms across his chest, leaning back against the wall. "I'm not in love."

"You so are," Kin said. "You tried to kill Daiki for a joke."

He shot one of his best glares across at both of them, and the pair fell silent again, except for Daiki's whisper of, "I told you he'd try and kill me."

Hotaru laughed again, reaching out a hand to ruffle Neji's hair. If there was one fault his great-uncle had, it was that he felt the need to that. Neji hated it when his hair was mussed in such a familiar way. It made him feel like a patronized child.

"Part of being in love, Neji," his great-uncle explained between chuckles, "is not realizing you're in it. I remember when your father first noticed your mother. Everyone could see the signs except him. They way he always wanted to spend time with her, over anyone else. How angry he'd get if any other member of the male species so much as looked twice. The way his body," and here Hotaru gave a deep belly laugh, "would react to hers."

Neji's mind returned, unbidden, to the image of TenTen without her shirt—her flat, well toned stomach, smooth skin, and the surprisingly feminine curve of her figure. He sank just a little lower in the water, causing Hotaru to laugh more and the twins to just stare.

"Starting to sound familiar, isn't it?" His great uncle said. Neji didn't respond, but he then he didn't think he had to. Hotaru lightly bumped his arm with an elbow. "Don't look so down about it, Neji-kun. It's not a bad thing to be in love. It happens to the best of us eventually. Even Hiashi-sama fell under its spell once."

"I am not, nor have I ever been, in love," Hiashi-sama's deep, dead-pan voice caused them all to jump. Except for Hotaru who, Neji realized bitterly, had probably known his uncle was approaching all along.

Hiashi-sama settled himself into the water on Neji's other side, as the twins made a beeline for the spot furthest away from him as possible. Hiashi-sama just stared after them looking almost, dare he say it, amused, before turning his piercing gaze onto Neji. "What's this about you being in love? Just the other day you assured me there was no girl with a special place in your heart."

Hotaru chuckled again, reclining against the wall. "Don't feel bad, Hiashi-sama. I don't think Neji even realized it until just now."

"I'm not in love," Neji protested again, feeling his face heat up. He was blushing. He was blushing as bad as Hinata-sama. In front of Hiashi-sama, who was now staring at him with great interest. It was officially time to go to bed and put this whole miserable day behind him.

His great uncle shook his head, grinning upward. "Sure you're not, Neji-kun. Whatever you say."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** This was inspired by a friend of mine actually trying to teach ME how to correctly walk in my high heels.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 13_

"Explain this to me one more time," TenTen said as she twisted and turned slightly, trying to keep the book on her head balanced there. "Why are we doing this? I feel ridiculous."

Hinata didn't turn around to face her friend as she carefully selected books from the wall of the Hyuuga's expansive library. "Because the art of kimono isn't just about having a nice one. It is also how you wear it."

Once more, Neji had to marvel at his cousin. Not only because she knew stuff like that, stuff that would be important if she ever became clan head, but also because of how much more confident she seemed while explaining all these things she knew. It was a far cry from her usual timid self, and Neji was amazed. If only she could do this around her father, Hiashi-sama would have no doubts as to his oldest daughter's abilities to effectively lead the clan. At least in peace time.

As for TenTen, she was standing in the middle of the library, one book balanced on her head, with a large strip of fabric tied around her waist. It extended down to the floor, apparently where Hinata-sama had measured. As far as Neji could tell, it was meant to simulate the skirt of a kimono. There were similar scraps of fabric pinned to TenTen's shirt, meant to represent the long sleeves.

At the moment, she looked a little ridiculous and a lot annoyed. It was all Neji could do to keep from grinning at her, which was unnerving. It struck to close to what Uncle Hotaru had said about being in love, a thought Neji was not comfortable with. Because, the more time passed, the more Neji thought his Uncle just might be right, and he had no idea how to get out of love once you were in it.

He wanted out, too. This whole thing was ridiculous and awkward, making Neji feel out-of-sorts and not himself. He did not like that feeling. Aside from that, TenTen was in love with someone else. Lee had mentioned her crush, and Neji couldn't forget it. Why should he waste his time being in love with someone he could never have?

The thought killed any hint of a smile that might have snuck on to his face.

Hinata turned back around, her arms full of books all about the same size, which she set on the nearby table. "Why don't we try it with just one, first, and see how that goes?"

"I still don't understand the point." TenTen still took a step, and Neji watched her carefully.

He would never, ever, have said it aloud, but he couldn't help but think an elephant would look more graceful. The way she carried herself, trying to keep the book balanced, was solid and great for combat. Not as great for trying to look elegant enough to impress that stuck-up clan elders.

Hinata met his eyes across the room, and he knew she was thinking along the same lines. With maybe some relief that Ino wasn't here to make fun of their protégé and escalate the situation. Yesterday had taught them that Ino and TenTen simply do not mix well.

"There, I managed it," TenTen proclaimed, tilting her head so the book fell easily into her hands. "Can we move on to something else now?"

"Well," Hinata rolled her eyes upward, as if the ceiling could offer her support, "you didn't drop the book. But…"

"But what?" When Hinata didn't immediately answer, TenTen whirled on him. "But what, Neji?"

It really wasn't fair of the control powers to do such things to him. "You looked like you were trying to ward off insurgents, not walking across a room."

Not exactly eloquent, but at least he hadn't compared her to an elephant.

For a split second, TenTen looked almost hurt, before she lifted her chin defiantly. "A good stance is part of both a solid offense and defense."

"Exactly," Neji was grinning now, ignoring the strange look Hinata sent his way. This was such a brilliant idea; he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. "These two parties are a type of battleground. We are defending ourselves from the clan elders as well as showing them how…" he wanted to say amazing "good you are as our offense."

Hinata smiled at him, obviously seeing his plan, and she nodded her agreement eagerly.

TenTen just looked at them skeptically, so he continued. "Right now, we're teaching you the kinds of weapons you'll need for this sort of battle. And this will be the stance you need to use them."

"I suppose that makes sense," the kunoichi said after a pause. "In some weird twisted way."

There was a great deal of mental congratulations going on in Neji's head. If there was one way to get TenTen to understand something, it was by making it a battle. She was a brilliant strategist, and an asset to any team they were on…

He really was in love, wasn't he?

"We are aiming for something a little more like this." Hinata stacked five of the books on top of her head, something Neji vaguely remembered her having to do as a child, and set off across the room. She wasn't walking, she was gliding. Head high and steady, shoulders sloped appropriately, and never moving her feet more than a few inches apart.

When she reached his side, Neji turned to her. "Why don't you ever walk at parties? I always thought it was because you couldn't."

Hinata blushed, looking away, and made a gesture that was probably meant to be a shrug but was too small to really count.

"I can't do that." TenTen told them, from where she was standing in another corner. "No way. I am not built to walk that way."

"Of course you can," Hinata's bright smile returned as she walked to TenTen's side. "It just takes practice, like everything else."

"No amount of practice will ever make me that beautiful."

TenTen said it simply, like a statement of fact. The thing that Neji had come to call his inner-demon reared its ugly head. Of course she was beautiful. Not delicate, no, but beautiful like a katana was beautiful.

He realized he said that last part out loud when he saw Hinata and TenTen staring at him, both open mouthed and obviously confused.

An awkward silence descended before TenTen managed a small squeaky, "what?"

Neji felt his face heating up, and he looked sharply away, hoping his hair would fall in just the right way to hide it. "I said you're beautiful like a katana is beautiful. And in the hands of a master, a katana can be the most graceful of all weapons."

He HAD to find a way to stop being in love before he embarrassed himself further. This was so ridiculous it bordered on obscene. He never lost control like that, NEVER, and while it was alright if just Hinata was around, anyone else and he'd be forced to commit ritual suicide to gain back his carefully cultivated reputation.

Nothing came out when TenTen moved her mouth, so there was another heavily weighted pause. After a moment, she finally managed a whispered, "thank you."

There was nothing he could say to that, so Neji continued to stare directly at the wall. Maybe if he stared hard enough, it would catch fire, and when he perished in the flames he wouldn't have to worry about this whole bizarre mess.

It was unlikely, but it didn't hurt anything for him to try.

Hinata slid the books of her head, and placed a second one on TenTen's head. "First, we will work on your feet placement. I'll walk beside you until you've got it memorized, okay?"

They were working on walking for another three hours. First how far apart to place her feet, then the way to do so, followed by the correct way to lift them. From there, the pair of them—Neji was keeping his mouth quite firmly closed—worked their way up to knees, amount of swing, or lack of it, for hips. The correct way for TenTen to hold her arms while walking or while standing still. Finally, they got to her head, and the accepted way for her to carry it.

When TenTen managed to circle the whole room on her own, Hinata clapped her hands and Neji allowed himself the trace of a smile. She still looked a little awkward; as if she were trying too hard to remember what it was she was supposed to be doing. Practice, and he knew TenTen would, should do a lot to fix that one small problem, and then she would be presentable.

A question Neji hadn't yet thought of came to mind. Did he really want her to be presentable? If the clan elders liked her enough, they might try to insist that he date her. TenTen was far too kind to turn him down, but if she loved someone else, Neji didn't want that.

Suddenly, Hinata's problem of facing Naruto looked a lot less silly. She was very aware that the blonde was in love with Sakura, but even so she had to hope.

Neji was pondering this new dilemma, examining it from every angle. He didn't notice TenTen coming over until she was standing directly in front of him.

"Neji," she said.

He looked up, and was surprised to see how nervous she looked. It was a rare expression for TenTen, and he couldn't help observing it with interest. "TenTen."

"I just…I wanted to say…what you said earlier. Both times, actually. Well, they were, nice. So I guess, I…" She leaned down suddenly, invading his personal space so quickly that the only reason he didn't attack was because it was TenTen and with her this close he froze. Her lips were pressed softly, so faint he almost wasn't sure, against his cheek before she pulled back just as quickly, her face an interesting hue of pink. "Thank you."

Then the cloth from her makeshift skirt and sleeves was in his hand, and she was all but running out the door.

Hinata said nothing, but Neji could feel her staring at him. He didn't say anything either, just put his head down on the nearby table. TenTen couldn't realize what she was doing to him, he told himself. Because if she did, he would kill her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I'm actually starting to run out of ideas, so if you guys have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 14_

Neji had been so caught up in getting TenTen to be his perfect date that he had completely forgotten the reason behind it—Hinata-sama's birthday party. And birthday parties meant birthday presents.

TenTen had been right when she'd originally joked that he had no idea what to get his cousin for her most important birthday, even if he hadn't realized it at the time, and it rankled him. After a day and a half of thinking it over, Neji decided he had no choice but to take TenTen along for advice while he searched.

Whether he was doing this because TenTen actually could give him decent advice, or because he wanted to spend time with her just to spend time with her still remained to be seen.

That was how they ended up spending the Friday before the dinner wandering the Konoha shops instead of doing something useful. And while a little part of Neji was griping about all this lost training time, another part of him was having…fun. Maybe this being a normal teenage shinobi thing wasn't as bad as he had always supposed.

"How about this?" TenTen held a shirt up over her body, showing the simple black velvet design. "It's comfortable, yet elegant."

"We'd never see her wear it. It would always be under that jacket of hers." The jacket was something Neji would never understand. Being modest was one thing, and deliberately concealing was quite another.

"Maybe we should get her a jacket then." TenTen frowned a little as she surveyed the shop they were in. "Something prettier than the one she has though."

"Or maybe we should forget the clothes idea." His eyes were starting to ache from trying to scrutinize every piece for flaws, anyway. "She can get any clothes she'd like herself."

"By that logic, we'll never find anything to get her. It's not like Hyuugas are poor." The frown didn't leave TenTen's face as she folded the shirt back up.

He didn't like it when she frowned; it didn't suit her. TenTen was a cheerful person. Her humor was probably the only thing that had kept him sane though most of his time on Team Guy. That and her…passion…for stuff.

It was unfair that thinking of passion in the context of TenTen caused his muscles to tense, his brain to freeze up, and to just make him feel most uncomfortable in general as blood rushed to places it didn't belong when one was shopping for birthday presents for one's cousin.

He was in serious trouble.

TenTen didn't seem to notice as she stepped away from the clothes and into the jewelry section. "I still think a fox plush toy is the best thing for her. Of course, I'm not sure how many of the rookies have worked it out, so maybe the meaning would be lost on her."

It was amusing to Neji that she stilled called them rookies, even though they were all experienced Chuunin by now. The thought of getting Hinata the toy was far less humorous.

There was no worry, exactly, about whether or not she would figure out the joke. Neji was fairly certain that Hinata, as the expert of all things Naruto related, had it worked out before any of them, and she simply had not cared.

What bothered him about the whole idea was that Neji didn't want to do anything that might send the single to Hinata that he thought she should continue down this path. Everyone with any sense knew that Naruto was infatuated with his pink haired teammate.

This lead to a very tricky chain of Hinata liking Naruto who liked Sakura who liked Sasuke (and/or Lee, he wasn't entirely sure which at this point) and Sasuke liked only himself. Lee liked Sakura, but if his feelings were returned by the kunoichi neither he nor she had realized it yet.

All the drama made by that bunch made his head hurt. Furthermore, it made no sense to him. If they were already 'in love' with someone else, then you had lost. Lost before you'd even begun. They, the objects of your affection, would not bother to give you a chance because you were automatically going to lacking because you weren't the person they loved.

It was pointless to hope and it was pointless to try. You could change yourself, but you could not change who you fundamentally were.

Hinata could cut her hair short, dye it pink, and try to act like a schizophrenic psychopath, but she would still be Hinata.

There was no one sentence to sum all that up, so Neji simply said, "no."

TenTen looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "I think it's sweet, regardless of whether or not you think Naruto is worthy of the Hyuuga heiress."

"Nobody said I didn't." In fact, just the opposite was true. He knew Naruto well enough to know that he would only keep getting stronger. Was probably stronger than just about every other person in the village. Not in the ninja arts, although that was swiftly becoming true. He was simply fundamentally stronger in character.

If anything, he would be honored to have Naruto be part of the family and, as Hinata's husband, essentially clan head. He was going to be Hokage anyway, so it would simplify Neji's life as he could be loyal to one person's wishes instead of trying to reconcile two when they occasionally conflicted.

Neji just knew better than to hope for it. You can change your own fate. You cannot change others'.

"You sure have a funny way of showing your approval, then." She picked up a necklace, something gold and dangly with purple jewels on the end, and held it up to her neck before putting it back. "I already know what you're going to say to the idea of jewelry."

"Really?" His deadpan was improving. Neji was quite proud of this. "And what is that?"

"I'll hold up something," which she did, as if to demonstrate. "And I'll say 'Neji, how about this?' and you'll make that funny little 'hn' noise you do, that's sort of like a laugh but not, and say 'when will she ever wear it?' Too which I will say 'Neji you are too practical. You take all the fun out of shopping.' Then I will put it back."

Which she the proceeded to do, with great flourish.

Neji couldn't decide which was more amusing; the fact that she had tried to do an impression of him, or the fact that she was exactly right about what he would have said.

"You know me to well, TenTen." He said. It scared him a little that this was so. Not that he thought TenTen would ever betray him on purpose. She had proven loyalty to Konoha and to her teammates several times over. Neji couldn't even begin to count how many times he had ordered her to go complete a mission only to have her refuse to leave her team's side. If they were going down, she would not be left behind.

He was far more concerned about the idea that she could get caught, hurt, to get to him. Because she knew, and enemies wouldn't know that no matter what they did they could not break her. She wouldn't tell, but they could try, and that idea made him feel ill.

"I like to think I'm a Hyuuga Neji encyclopedia." TenTen smirked, a look he had not seen on her face all week. "Born July 3rd to loving parents, something that Neji would decide at a later date had determined his destiny, only to revise that idea later, Neji was…"

He glared at her, though it carried none of the killing intent that usually accompanied it when aimed at other individuals. "Now you're being silly."

"You said yourself before that females are silly creatures." She turned and started walking again.

"Did I?" He couldn't remember having said such a thing, although it was likely. Females generally were silly creatures. But while TenTen had silly moments, she herself was not a silly being.

"Yes, you did. Sometime around last Valentine's Day." TenTen wasn't looking at him anymore, intently studying some sort of weapon that was on display.

He could remember now all the boxes of chocolate he had been receiving all day, until he was up to his eyeballs in the sweet stuff that he didn't even particularly like. When TenTen had shown up with one more box to deliver, a rather expensive looking one at that, Neji had commented about how females were all ridiculous creatures to express their feelings this way. She had asked if she could keep the box she had, then, if he didn't want it, and though he'd let her she hadn't touched it all day.

The idea that maybe she hadn't been sent as messenger for another female friend, that maybe it had been HER box, didn't occur to him until that moment.

He opened his mouth, wanting to ask but not sure how to do so, but he was interrupted as she said, with a bright smile, "even if you're not going to get Hinata her stuffed toy, I will. I think she needs something like that to cheer her up sometimes, when a certain someone is being an unobservant and insensitive jerk."

Neji wondered if she was talking about him instead of Naruto for a brief moment. But that only made sense in the context of what he'd just realized, and as she probably hadn't had the same line of thought he had, it was unlikely. He was just being paranoid, and letting feelings for a past event he could do nothing about now, ten months later, get in the way of the present.

Of course if she had meant Naruto, why didn't she simply say so?

The answer to that question came when he moved to follow TenTen to the nearby aisles of toys, only to have something catch his elbow. He turned and found himself face to face with Naruto. The blond looked more nervous than Neji had ever seen him before.

"Can I help you?" Neji quirked an eyebrow. The fidgeting was new.

"Well, you see, Neji, Kiba mentioned Hinata's birthday was coming up. And so, I…well I wondered what you were getting her. To make sure that we're not getting her the same thing, of course. Not because I have no ideas or anything!"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Thanks for the suggestions, guys! Some of them were really helpful, and this went in a totally different direction than I thought this scene would.

I would like to point out that my other long fic, 'All the Broken Pieces', which is about twice this long, took over a year to finish. I'm doing good.

Dramatic irony is fun! If you want a little bit of background on Naruto and TenTen's relationship as it stands here, zoom on over to "The Forgotten" if you haven't already. It's not even a tiny part of what I have in my head, but it's a start.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 15_

Neji was still unsure as to whether Naruto's interruption was a good thing or not. On the one hand, it meant TenTen was paying less attention to him and wasn't confusing him by talking about things like the chocolate and stuff he could barely remember saying. On the other hand…TenTen was paying less attention to him.

They had gone to Ichiraku for what TenTen called a planning meeting. They were going to discuss their strategy for present finding, then implement it. Personally, Neji just thought she was hungry, and she and Naruto went out for ramen often. He couldn't count how many times she'd raced away from their practice field so she could meet him on time.

The pair of them weren't paying any attention to him as Neji quietly slurped his noodles. TenTen was laughing, and watching her talk so happily to Naruto, after seeing her so miserable with him all week, was quickly diminishing his appetite.

Naruto waved his chopsticks around in one hand as he threw his arms about in explanation. "So then, this guy that's been following me for hours corners me. I'm already to fight and everything, thinking it's some guy trying to pick up where the Akatsuki left off. Just as I'm about to hit my hand ends up in the mouth of this giant dog. And I'm thinking 'Okay, now I'm really in trouble, because fighting summons without your summons sucks' but then I realize its Akamaru!"

"It was Kiba that had been stalking you all day?" TenTen was giggling as she picked up another bit of noodles to dip in her soup. She had ordered the tsukemen, just like Neji, while Naruto got a ramen order that had not been on the menu. He obviously got special treatment here.

"Yeah. I still don't know why he didn't just say hello first thing," Naruto mumbled around a mouthful of ramen. "He didn't tell me. But, anyway, after laughing his ass off at me trying to get my hand back out of Akamaru's mouth, he tells me that he has some information that I need to know."

"And you thought it was a mission or something," TenTen finished. She promptly stuck her food in her mouth, obviously trying to stifle more giggles.

Neji poked his cold noodles with his chopsticks. He wasn't sulking, exactly, but he was as close to it as he allowed himself to be. She never laughed this much around him, even on the best days. It was rather obvious she was enjoying herself far more now than she previously had been.

"I thought it was a mission or something, he was so serious." Naruto said, and TenTen made a sort of choking noise as the giggles tried to get out anyway. "He then proceeds to tell me that this is the most important information I'm going to hear ever. I'm all excited now, waiting for it, and then he tells me that Hinata's birthday is a week from Sunday. I like Hinata and all, but that was totally not what I was expecting."

"I can imagine not," Neji muttered. While Hinata considered Naruto's birthday almost a holy day—as did the rest of the village, for entirely different reasons—when she would spend weeks agonizing over what present to get him, only to leave it on anonymously on his doorstep every year without fail, it probably hadn't even occurred to Naruto that Hinata had a birthday.

Not that he didn't care about her as he did all his friends. Naruto was just that dense.

His cryptic comment was ignored. "I guess some of that must have shown on my face, because all of the sudden Kiba was really mad." Naruto paused, looking thoughtful as he chewed a quick bite and swallowed. "Not sure why. Anyway, he said I had to get Hinata a birthday present this year, because she hopes I will every year and I never have before. But I didn't KNOW when her birthday was, and I still don't know why it matters if I get her one, but I really really don't want her to be sad, and I guess it made her sad before, so I have to make sure I get it right this time."

TenTen had that look on her face that she got whenever Lee made some proclamation that he was be as strong and as youthful as Guy-sensei even if he had to die trying. She did the same thing next as she always did then, too, which was to hit Naruto smartly upside the back of his head, sending him face first into the counter. "You really are as dense as a brick, aren't you? Hinata wants a present from you because…because you matter to her. She admires you, you know. You're courage and everything."

That was putting it mildly, and both of them knew it. Neji approved, however, of the way this was handled. It was Hinata's secret to tell, not theirs, and TenTen had given Naruto just enough to temporarily satisfy his curiosity without actually giving it away.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, but seemed otherwise unfazed by his painful encounter with the tabletop. Spending long hours around Sakura had probably helped him build immunity to such things. "She does? I always thought she was scared of me. She gets all nervous and stuff."

A faint, fond smile appeared on TenTen's face, and with it Neji's appetite evaporated. She never smiled at him like that. Not once in all the years he'd known her had she looked at him as if she cared that much. "Idiot. Hinata has," TenTen shot Neji an unreadable look over her shoulder, "confidence issues. She's just nervous because she thinks you'll think she's weak."

"After the way she kept fighting? How could I do that?" Nobody had to say when he was talking about, and Neji winced. He'd been wrong, he admitted it, and it was still painful to think about how badly he'd hurt her. She had forgiven him, they all had, but that still did little to calm the feelings of guilt.

Naruto's appearance was most definitely a curse.

"I told you, Naruto-kun. Confidence issues."

Neji clenched his fists around the edge of the counter. TenTen didn't call anyone 'kun'. Ever. Not even Lee had that distinction.

It all made perfect sense now. All the clues were right there. She laughed more, smiled more, with him than anyone else. She seemed freer, more relaxed, more…alive, than usual.

TenTen was in love with Naruto.

Of course she was. He was everything he thought TenTen would find attractive in a person. He was confident and strong, loyal like her, happy like her. They were very much a like, when it came down to it, and Naruto was the only person outside their team that TenTen spent much time with at all.

And of course she wouldn't tell him. She respected Hinata and her feelings too much to get in the way. It would be just like TenTen to stand aside, even help, someone else be happy when she could not.

This realization made Neji want to hurt something. Not only had he found the person TenTen loved, and discovered that person to be so unlike him that she couldn't even accept Neji as a replacement, but he'd found out why she would…be wilted by the callous words and ignorance of her beloved. And he couldn't help the guy see sense, either, because that would be unfair to Hinata. If he owed anyone all the help he could give in his life, Hinata was that person.

He couldn't be happy with TenTen, because she loved Naruto, and he couldn't even help her to be happy with the person she loved. It hurt, more than any physical pain Neji could think of, and below that pain was this intense rage that made him feel as though he was going to explode at any moment. This was something he could not do.

"So, what should I get her, anyway? I don't even know what she likes." Naruto groaned, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "Shikamaru is right. Girls are so troublesome."

TenTen laughed again, and Neji's chopsticks broke as his hand surged with chakra without his permission.

"Maybe," she said, after swallowing the last bite of her noodles, "you should take a leaf out of Shikamaru's book. He always gets Ino stuffed deer for her birthday. You could get Hinata a fox."

Naruto's blue eyes widened as obvious panic settled on his features. "A fox? Why would I get her a fox? I have nothing to do with foxes! Nope, not a thing, I…who told you?"

"Nobody. We," TenTen was probably motioning to herself and Neji, but he wasn't looking anymore to see, "figured it out not long after the first Chuunin exam. It wasn't hard."

"And you don't mind?" Naruto sounded like a kicked child, and in spite of the anger he felt, Neji couldn't help pitying him. He remembered explaining to TenTen about the main and branch houses the first time, and that he was only second rate and could never be anything more. He hadn't believed her reassurances that the seal on his head wouldn't stop him from being one of the best ninja Konoha had ever seen.

"Of course not. You're useful every so often, you know. Besides, we made a promise, remember?" TenTen said. "If it helps you become Hokage, then I see no reason to care about it at all. And, if you ask me, I don't think Hinata would care either."

What promise this could be was a mystery to Neji, but he couldn't much care anymore either. They had secrets, between the two of them. He and TenTen didn't have secrets. What more proof did he need?

TenTen put down her chopsticks and stood, grabbing a hold of Neji to haul him to her feet as she did so. "We still have mission to complete, and since you two are hopeless I'm appointing myself team leader. I say break is over and it's time to head out."

Neji didn't even have the will to protest.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I'm more in a drawing mood today, so this is difficult. Still, no one ever said being a writer would be easy? Or if they did, they were stupid.

For all those that are so very concerned, fear not! Neji gets his happy ending, eventually.

EDIT: Fixed the Hanabi age mistake.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 16_

They still hadn't managed to get a present for Hinata. TenTen claimed that once Naruto showed up, Neji had been too distracted to be at all useful. She was probably right, but Neji found he didn't care. His new lack of interest in, well, anything really, was completely impractical. But the more he tried to get over this feeling of unhappiness, the worse it seemed to get.

His brain was telling him to let TenTen go, that he couldn't compete with Naruto, but those stupid emotions were refusing to listen again.

"Neji, you've got to sit still." The hairbrush hitting him smartly on the top of the head made Neji wince. Twelve and a Genin or not, Hanabi could put power behind a blow when she wanted to.

Hinata's eyes met his in the mirror, and his cousin shrugged helplessly. Neither of them had a clue why Hanabi had insisted on helping Neji get ready for 'the dinner of doom' tonight, but the younger girl had simply refused to listen to Neji's protests that he could manage just fine on his own.

They had compromised. Hanabi could do his hair—as in, she could brush it—and pick out his wardrobe as long as Hinata was there to supervise. Neji had enough experience of Hanabi finding some way to humiliate him to know better than to take her on alone.

Crafty brat.

"Maybe sitting still would be easier if you weren't pulling so hard." Neji was not a tender headed individual, and normally he would suffer through Hanabi's yanking in silence, but she was distracting him from his goal of convincing himself to not be in love with TenTen anymore. He only had an hour or so before she came for dinner, and if he wasn't done by then he just knew tonight would not go well.

"I'm not pulling hard; you're just being a baby." An extra yank for emphasis, and Neji winced again. He wasn't even sure what the brush was getting caught on. His hair didn't have that many tangles, even on a bad day. Hyuugas were genetically unable to have snarly hair. "You're being a baby about this, and about your girlfriend."

"TenTen is not my girlfriend. She is my teammate." Did he just snarl at Hanabi? This was worse than he thought.

"Right. Because nobody has ever fallen in love with their teammate before. That's why Daddy is trying to persuade Hokage-sama to have all the people on genin teams be the same gender." Hanabi all but chirped the last sentence, which would have been creepy if she'd been talking about anyone else. As it was, that was her standard tone when talking about her father. As far as she was concerned, Hiashi-sama was the ultimate authority on everything.

It was a little bit frightening just how much she admired him.

"Hanabi-chan, if Neji-niisan says TenTen isn't his girlfriend, we should believe him." Hinata smiled, and some how Neji knew that she knew that he was both lying and telling the truth at the same time. TenTen wasn't his girlfriend. That didn't mean he didn't love her.

Hanabi scoffed and held her small hand out over Neji's shoulder. He put the band he'd been commanded to hold in her open palm. "Neechan is to trusting. Neji just doesn't want us to tease him about being in love. Why else would he pick to bring a ragamuffin in to show Daddy?"

Neji was mildly insulted that she'd called TenTen such a nonsensical thing, but as there were much worse thing Hanabi could call her, he chose to say nothing about it.

"TenTen is a very sweet kunoichi. She is also incredibly powerful." Hinata was grinned coyly at him in the mirror, and Neji suppressed a shiver. Since when had Hinata gotten to be so scary? "Underestimating her would be most unwise, Hanabi-chan."

That was the truest statement Neji had heard all week.

The band snapped against Neji's neck as Hanabi locked the ponytail into place at the nape of his neck. Hanabi had left his forehead completely exposed— she was probably trying to send him a message, but Neji refused to rise to the bait and didn't move to cover the seal. If she wanted to try to embarrass him that way, then let her. It couldn't hurt him anymore.

Well, physically it could, but he didn't particularly want to think about that.

Hanabi stepped back to admire her work, flipping the long ponytail idly between her hands. "She doesn't belong to a clan, does she?"

"Yes." TenTen's parents and what they were—a little investigation yesterday had told Neji they were a drunken gambler and some sort of almost-prostitute— and were not had been a concern for Neji since his visit to her house. Hopefully, his family would simply accept his prepared answer. "Not a Konoha clan, however. Her parents were originally from Mist."

Hinata nodded sadly, obviously understanding the implications of the time and location. Hanabi just looked curious. "Really? What can she do?"

Neji had prepared for this question, too, but he could only hope that he was right. "It gives her Ice Chakra."

"Ice Chakra? Like, instead of water?" Hanabi looked fascinated, and Neji was sure she would be sneaking active Byakugan looks at TenTen all night. It had been so long since he'd needed to look at TenTen's chakra to anticipate a move or disable her—a feat easier said then done—that Neji couldn't remember whether her chakra was unique looking or not. All the more reason to sincerely hope that he was right, or that if he was not that Hanabi would not be able to tell.

His younger cousin then turned to his wardrobe and opened the door, looking over the clothes inside. "You know, Daddy has been talking about nothing but this dinner all week. He keeps saying just how important it is that you make a good impression on the council at Neechan's party. I think he's planning something."

That, at least, explained why she had volunteered to help. She wanted to make sure he didn't disappoint her father. That last sentence bothered him though. "Planning something?"

Hanabi nodded as she flicked through his clothes at rapid speed. "I'm not sure, but I think he's more concerned about how YOU look at the party than Neechan."

This probably suited Hinata just fine. She always did much better without her father looking over her shoulder. If the relieved look on her face was any indication, she was downright happy about this arrangement.

Neji wished he could say the same. "What does it matter what they think of me?"

A shrug from the youngest of the trio. "How should I know? I just know that Daddy just says it is. I heard him say that if you don't do well, all of his plans will have been for nothing."

"What plans?" Neji whirled to face her, but found himself getting a kimono shoved into his arms instead. He ignored it. "Hanabi, what aren't you telling me?"

"I'm telling you all that I know." Her face was serious, though this didn't actually say much as Hanabi pretty much always looked that way. "I thought it best you were aware of the expectations, is all."

He nodded his acceptance of her story, more because it was pointless to argue with her than because he actually believed she was telling him all she knew.

Seemingly satisfied that he would heed her warning, Hanabi headed toward the door. "We've got our own clothes to get dressed in. Come on, Neechan."

Hinata rolled her eyes in the most affectionate manner a person could ever manage. She walked over to Neji and lightly tugged some of his bangs free. Not enough to cover his forehead completely, but enough to frame his face. Because it was Hinata, he did not flinch as her fingers lightly brushed his seal in the process. He had nothing to fear from her, and he knew it. She smiled, but said nothing, before following Hanabi out the door.

With a rather put upon sigh, Neji held up the kimono that had been selected for him. It dark blue, nearly black, with an illustration of the overnight birth of Mount Fuji, with the tiny figures of the family of farmer Visu staring up at it in the dark night. A simple yet elegant piece.

Whatever Hanabi's ulterior motives, she was sincere about one thing—she wished him to make a good impression.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** So…tired…

For the record: the flowers in TenTen's hair do have significance. Remember, it was Ino that did it.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 17_

Neji couldn't breathe.

He was trying. Mentally, he was kicking himself and shouting 'inhale, dammit!' but somehow that message was lost between his brain and his lungs.

Because TenTen was standing there in the entryway. Dressed in a long white silk kimono, a simple winter forest scene detailing the back and sleeves. A kimono that he, HE, had bought for her.

And Ino had done something to her hair that left bangs down to frame her face, but pulled the rest of it back in a simple bun, decorated with flower—pink ambrosia, blue flax flowers, white and yellow jonquil.

Dimly, Neji was aware that if was December, and so no flowers were really in season, and that simple ornamentation had probably cost the Yamanaka shop a good deal of money. He'd have to find a way to make it up to Ino.

"Neji." TenTen looked away. Was she blushing, or was that make-up? "I…you…I brought a gift."

Somehow, those simple words forced his brain to start functioning again. There was protocol to be followed here. He had to perform well. "You didn't have to do that, TenTen."

They both knew that she did, but there were parts to play here. She smiled slightly, holding the small box to her chest. "I felt I had to repay your family's kindness for putting up with me this evening."

Now the situation was getting delicate. It would have been more polite to refuse a second time, but he was unsure what to say. He'd offended TenTen so often lately that it seemed he couldn't say anything that would be neutral.

He was saved by Uncle Hotaru coming up and removing the box from her arms. "It is our honor to have such a charming young lady for dinner."

Protocol. Protocol helped him to think. "TenTen, this is my great uncle Hotaru. Uncle, my teammate and good friend, TenTen." He probably should have introduced her by her surname, but if she had one then Neji didn't know it. Even in school she had been, to everybody, simply TenTen.

TenTen bowed, a perfect replication of what Hinata had taught her, and Neji smiled as his uncle returned the bow. The older man paused by Neji on his way to the kitchen. "Now I see why you like her so much, Neji-kun. I suggest you keep her."

Neji felt his stomach sink to his toes at that. He wanted to keep her, badly, but she wasn't his to hold onto. TenTen was staring at him, obviously waiting for something, and it took a few heartbeats for Neji to realize she was waiting for him to do something so she could follow his lead. Without a word, he closed the space between them and offered his arm, which she took gratefully.

The flowers in her hair gave off a subtle sent that only enhanced the clean earthy tone of standard shinobi soap that always reminded him of TenTen. This seemed the perfect metaphor for the moment—she was dressed up almost like another person, but underneath where it mattered, she was still his TenTen.

"I'm nervous," she whispered to him, her lips unmoving. It was an art that all shinobi learned, and, like all ninja arts, TenTen had practiced it to perfection.

"You shouldn't be." He didn't move his mouth either. No need for nosy relatives to know what they were discussing. "I know you'll be great, and anyone that has a problem with anything can talk to me. I'll set them straight."

He meant it, too. If they couldn't see that she was diligent, warm, kind, compassionate, hard-working, and…and just about as perfect as a single being could be, then Neji was going to make sure they learned, and quickly.

TenTen stared at him, obviously surprised. Neji knew it wasn't particularly like him to go around spouting protective messages, and TenTen is probably the person who needs his protection the least, but it seemed important that she know that he was proud of her.

At least that's what he'd been trying to say. He wasn't sure that was the message she got, as he was still figuring out the girl-filter Iruka-sensei had described.

Dinner was being served in the smaller dining room, the one used for exclusive occasions like this one. Next week, when the whole clan was expected to attend, they would be forced to use the large dining room. This time, it was only a select group of individuals.

Neji didn't know the exact guest list, and he was a little surprised to see who was waiting there. It consisted largely of Hiashi-sama and Neji's two cousins, Uncle Hotaru, and a handful of others. Namely, the three council members that Neji hated the most and their sons.

Only a few weeks after Neji had decided to let go of his anger toward the main house and take control of his own destiny, he'd found the best way to do so was to take all that animosity and target it specifically at those that deserved it. Namely, those three and their idiot sons.

They were directly related to Hiashi-sama in some way—first cousins or something of the like—and would likely have been offended if they had not been invited to a formal family dinner. They also happened to be the members of the main branch who enforced rules of the two families the most. Neji knew from the family gossip chain that they had been pressuring Hiashi to decide on an heir quickly, and send the other daughter to live in the branch family, as was expected of him.

He understood now both of his cousin's actions. Hanabi had displayed his mark to separate herself. Neji couldn't blame her for this, as she was young and probably very frightened. As the younger daughter, she was the more obvious choice to be sent away and removed from her family and everything she loved.

Hinata's simple motions were demonstrating that she was not afraid. If that was what they decided for her, she would accept it as she did everything else and find a way to continue. Her simple courage never failed to impress him, and he hoped someday that others would see it.

Those three idiots would never understand someone like Hinata, or even Hanabi—who for all her talk wasn't such a bad girl. The three old men could only see the line between the two families, something they felt need to be strictly enforced. Neji's training under Hiashi was a sore spot for them, and they were still fighting to put Hotaru in the branch family even after so many years.

TenTen must have read something of the anger in his body language, as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze. In a way Neji could not possibly have explained, he relaxed at her touch. It had taken him a long time to forgive the main house for their control over his life, but through that time it had been TenTen that reminded him of one thing. He had given them that control when he chose to follow their rules, and now he could take it back.

It was a subtle movement as he shifted his arm, grabbing her hand for a brief but tight squeeze of her fingers to let her know that he understood. He would not give them back that power.

He bowed deeply to his uncle, and TenTen followed suite in a perfect show of deference. If Neji didn't know better, he would have thought she'd been doing it her whole life.

After the appropriate length of time, he looked up again. "Hiashi-sama…esteemed elders…I would like to present my teammate, TenTen."

Mentally, he kicked himself again. He should have asked TenTen her surname while he had a chance, out in the hall. It was too late now, however.

"Just TenTen?" Zentaro, the oldest of the terrible three, sneered. He was not even bothering to hide his distaste, and Neji swallowed back his fury. If he only knew what she went through everyday, he wouldn't be so quick to look down on her strength.

"Yes, sir." TenTen's face betrayed nothing, the tightness of her smile being the only clue to Neji that she was as angry as he was. "I have a surname, but due to circumstances I am forbidden to use it. I remain but TenTen, who is humbly at your service."

Since when had TenTen become so eloquent? She usually expressed herself through something quick—witticisms and jokes, or sharp objects that would leave much more physical scarring. He hadn't known she could handle the politic language. Now it only remained to be seen how long she could keep it up.

"We are very pleased that you have agreed to accompany Neji this evening, TenTen." Hiashi-sama's face was neutral, displaying none of the curiosity everyone else in the room wasn't bothering to hide. Well, everyone but Hinata, who was serenity incarnate. Hanabi didn't look curious either; she was just openly scrutinizing TenTen's chakra system.

TenTen stared right back at her, but the tightness of her hand told him just how uncomfortable she was. She was still trying to intimidate Hanabi into stopping, a futile gesture, as she spoke. "The honor is most certainly mine, Hiashi-sama."

A rather uncomfortable feeling settled itself deep in Neji's insides. He wasn't sure what it was, but if he had to name it he would probably call it foreboding. Somehow, he just knew this wasn't going to go well.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** And so the story continues. In a way that I hadn't anticipated, sure, but in the way of awesome!

By the way…do you guys think I have a 'style'? We've been learning about what that means, exactly, in my creative writing class, and so my latest angst is whether or not I have one. What do you guys think?

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 18_

Five minutes in to dinner, and things seemed to be going well. Hiashi-sama seemed inclined to keep the day simple, with only six courses instead of the usual eight or more. This was probably to benefit the cooks, who would be busy preparing for Hinata-sama's party all the next week, but Neji could appreciate it anyway. The sooner this was done; the sooner the elder's sons could stop staring at his date.

Two of them were doing it subtlety, trying to catch glimpses of her over soup bowls and reaching for the next dish, but the youngest of the trio was openly gawking. He barely took her eyes off her, and very rarely blinked.

It was making Neji uncomfortable, and was certainly doing more than that to TenTen. She had a hand clenched around his knee under the table, probably to keep herself from throwing something at the man. He didn't blame her, really, but TenTen had strong hands and it hurt. There were probably going to be bruises.

Hanabi hadn't stopped scrutinizing her either, which Neji took to mean he was right about her chakra. That was a plus.

"So, Hiashi-sama," the wheezing voice of the middle elder, Daitaro, surprised his son out of his staring. A good thing, in Neji's book, that ranked right up there with the blissful feeling he got when he realized they weren't talking to him. "With Hinata-sama's birthday approaching, are you anticipating many proposals?"

The clan head took a long sip of his sake before answering, and Neji inwardly grinned. He was the one that invited them. It seemed only fair he had to tolerate them too. "Several. I have received many already, in fact."

Beside him, Hinata's face lit up in spectacular blush, and she ducked her head slightly. She didn't look really flattered though. More like horrified.

It hadn't occurred to Neji until the instant he saw the tears Hinata was trying so desperately to hide the awful truth of this arrangement. She would not be able to choose her husband.

Neji enjoyed a small measure of freedom with the girls he could date, limited though it was. Hinata's husband would be the head of the clan, and she would not have a say in her father's choice. He would choose what was best for the clan and she, her feelings, would have to be second.

Hinata would know that, and Neji suddenly felt guilty for not realizing it sooner. That may have been, perhaps, why she had never tried harder to get Naruto's attention. She would rather suffer in silence then risk winning him and be unable to keep him.

Stupid selfless girl.

"However," Hiashi continued flatly, "I already have a suitable match in mind for her."

Neji watched, amused and exasperated, as Zentaro's son, Hoshi, sat up just a little straighter and lifted his head. Everyone knew that Zentaro had designs for his son—a year younger than Hinata—to be made Hiashi's heir. He'd even been so presumptuous as to name his child with an h-kana first, an honor traditionally reserved for direct descendants of the heir. It didn't surprise Neji at all to find that Zentaro had already offered his son as a possible candidate.

It was surprising that Hoshi thought so much of himself that he assumed Hiashi-sama was talking about him.

Who it could be, really, Neji didn't know. He supposed it didn't matter. Hinata wouldn't love the guy. Oh, she'd still do her best to be a good wife for him, and the pride of the Hyuuga clan in her own way, but she wouldn't be really happy.

"This is Neji's dinner, Daitaro-san, not Hinata's." His uncle's tone left no room for argument about it. He expected them to stick to the point, something Neji secretly wished he hadn't done.

"Yes, we must take advantage of this opportunity to better acquaint ourselves with this fine young woman." Uncle Hotaru winked at TenTen cheekily, and she grinned in return. She already liked his great uncle, Neji could tell.

"I will do my best to satisfy your curiosity, gentle sirs." Her face was demur, but she was writing on Neji's knee with her finger. He was so distracted by the motion itself that he very nearly missed the word. Pricks.

He would have responded, probably with a light slap on the back of her hands, but he was too busy focusing on keeping every part of his body behaving in an appropriate and seemly manner. He wasn't doing very well.

And so the interrogation began, starting with Hoshi. "How long have you had the honor of being on our Neji's team, TenTen-san?"

Neji didn't appreciate the wording of that, and he shot his cousin a glare. Main branch or not, Neji didn't belong to him.

TenTen just smiled that same smile. "Neji and I have been on a team for six years. It has only been my honor for five."

His scowl switched targets. That wasn't a nice thing for her to say!

She only giggled at him, and Hotaru joined in the laughter. "I like this one! She's honest."

Well, that's true. If TenTen was anything, she was honest. "TenTen is a chuunin, but she is often sent on A and S rank missions with me." Often may have been a bit of a stretch, but she did go with him sometimes.

Ginjiro, the young one who was still staring, grinned at her broadly. "You must be very skilled then, TenTen-san."

"Of course she is," Hanabi spoke up, impatiently. "She has a blood limit, you know."

Neji choked on the water he'd been trying to drink. He would have been embarrassed by that, but his mind was elsewhere. Why hadn't he thought of the possibility that Hanabi might mention the limit to TenTen? He wasn't supposed to know about that!

The hand on his knee vanished as TenTen whirled to face the young girl. "I…you…Hanabi…" she was obviously floundering for the correct suffix for a twelve year old girl. "Hanabi-sama, how did you know that?"

"Neji-niisan told me." She only ever called him Neji-niisan when she was trying to get him in trouble for something. No way she'd missed the undercurrent of anger in TenTen's voice. "He was right, you have an ice chakra. I've never seen it before. It's very nice."

The other members of the clan were now, more subtly than Hanabi had done, inspecting TenTen's chakra system. That was the least of his problems, however, as TenTen whirled to face him. Her face had gone pale under the light dusting of make-up, brown eyes flashing with fury.

"How did you know?" She hissed at him. "No one is supposed to know about that."

What could he say? He could tell her the truth about Lee, but that would only serve to get them both in trouble, and he couldn't betray a teammate like that.

"You were spying on me, weren't you?" Her expression changed slightly, but to what Neji was uncertain.

"It's not like that." Like what, he didn't know. It wasn't like he was perverted, and he wasn't really spying, and what she meant with her spying he didn't know.

"Did you think I wasn't good enough? Did you have to learn my family history so I could pass your stupid test? Was it finding the ability that made me finally good enough for you Neji?" Her fists were clenched tightly, her voice little more than a whisper. It didn't matter how quietly she talked, because the whole room was listening.

"TenTen…" What was he going to say? How could he possibly explain in front of all these people and humiliate her further.

"Excuse me, Hyuuga-sama," she turned to address Hiashi, Neji only getting a flash of her face as it reset into something unreadable. "I need to recompose myself."

Hiashi nodded at her, and with as much grace as she could muster TenTen fled from the room.

Neji turned to look at his Uncle. "Hiashi-sama…"

"You may go after her if you wish, Neji."

The young Jounin was gone before his uncle even finished saying his name.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** This is also not how I imagined this scene in the original conception. However, as far as story arcs go, this works much better. No leveling out of action for a little while like it originally did.

Has anybody guessed who, exactly, the puppet master is yet?

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 19_

He could hear her running out to the garden, just a few steps ahead of him. Neji was fast, but TenTen, like Lee, was always faster. She probably would have been long gone by now if it were for the way the kimono confined her movements. He heard her stumble and, with a burst of extra speed, he caught her elbow before she hit the ground.

"Let me go, Neji." There was no emotion, not even anger, in her voice. It was unsettling.

"I didn't spy on you." He should have thought this through a little more. This wasn't supposed to be about reclaiming his reputation. This was supposed to be making sure she was all right, that she understood that…that what? That he loved her? He couldn't say that, she loved Naruto, and he'd promised himself he wouldn't tell her because she was sure to reject him.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it? You knew. Without asking me, you somehow knew." She didn't face him, but she didn't pull her arm out of his grasp either. "And the point of it is still the same, isn't it?"

"Don't talk in riddles." Why couldn't she just get where she was going with this? Then he could apologize and the world would be okay again because TenTen was smiling at him. He never meant to tell her he loved her, but Neji just knew that things wouldn't be the same if they couldn't at least be friends. He needed her. Needed her to tell him things were fine, to watch his back, to remind him when he forgot that there were things in Konoha that deserved his protection. That he wouldn't mind fighting and dying for.

He wouldn't die if he lost that, but he knew he would be somehow less a person.

She did turn to face him now, and what Neji saw shook his world view slightly. There were tears on TenTen's face. She wasn't sobbing, they weren't streaming, but there were drop silently falling from her eyes and trickling down her face.

TenTen didn't cry. Neji could count on this in the same way he could count on Lee to be green, the sun to come up, Hinata to bring tea. It was a constant in his life; he counted it as fact.

Yet here she was, those quiet drops smearing her make up as the escaped her eyes. These weren't regular tears, though. Neji was certain they were just another weapon in her arsenal because each drop hurt him like hell.

He had made her cry.

He had made TenTen cry.

He had been enough of an idiot to make TenTen, the most in control kunoichi he knew, cry.

"So now you're tired of games?" Her voice still sounded empty, hollow, and she didn't move to wipe the drops away at all. It was as if she just didn't care anymore. "After a week of messing with my mind and…and…this constant back and forth thing you've been doing—when the game is reversed you don't want to play anymore?"

"I haven't been messing with your mind. My intentions were perfectly clear."

"To who?" Now there was anger, which was better than the deadness of before. "One minute you're trying to change everything about me, then you're saying I'm beautiful, then you're as cold and aloof as before and scowling and…how is anyone supposed to know what you mean? You're so damn contradictory that any sensible conclusion I make is rendered illogical the next instant!"

"I never meant that I wanted to change you." Not really, anyway. There was regular TenTen, the one he loved, and the TenTen he needed for two nights. And if her performance tonight was any indication, the TenTen he needed was just a different side of her personality.

"Well you did a marvelous job of telling me that, didn't you?" Her teeth were bared, but not in a smile. The little part of Neji that had memorized the book on body language told him she was snarling because she felt trapped and cornered. In a dog, he would be afraid of an attack at any moment. With TenTen, he should probably feel that same caution. "Did you even realize, did you even think, about how I might feel about all of this?"

"Not at first." Honesty. Honesty was almost always a good thing. At the very least it startled her away from gouging his eyes out with her nails. "I wasn't really thinking about much of anything at first, except that those were the rules and you were the only girl I knew that…that was you."

It made no sense at all, but that was the only way Neji could think to describe it. Just how long had he been in love with her, anyway? It seemed like he always had.

"I'm not some kind of tool to be used at your disposal, Neji." Her body language—the stiff hunched shoulders, the firm stance, the clenched fists—it all screamed at him of aggression and hurt. Only the tears seemed off, but he couldn't decide if that was because it meant something else or because it was TenTen. "I'm not a weapon, I'm a person. A person with actual feelings, unlike you!"

"I have feelings." He'd been trying to keep a leash on them, actually, but now his temper was rising to match hers. She wasn't listening at all. "I just choose not to display them so openly."

"Because you don't trust me! You never trust me." They could probably hear her in the house, but even as he realized this Neji knew he didn't care. Because this was important, whatever they were doing.

"It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me. We're teammates, Neji. Partners. I would never do anything to betray you, but you…you go and dig up my past like that. How much do you know? Do you know what my parents are like? Do you know what they do all day?"

Yes, he did, but saying that seemed like a bad idea right now. "I just wanted to know why you didn't know all the things we were teaching you. You're a smart girl, TenTen, so I knew it had to be because no one taught you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

She laughed, harshly, and shook her head. "See, you're doing it again. I want to be mad at you. I have every right to be. But you say something so sweet like that and I start to hope that you've melted a little bit, and I got a glimpse of the real you."

"I'm not hiding anything." He wasn't! He was always himself, and said what he meant, and expressed what he wanted to. Just because he was selective about what he displayed didn't make what he offered her any less genuine.

"See, and now you're back to hiding from everything! I can see it. Not your words; it's your face and your eyes. You close off, withdraw. And I just want you to stay here with me, because…" She paused, obviously weighing what she was going to say next. "Because I love you so much that watching you go hurts."

"You…you what?" This was no rushed betrayal of emotion, no accidental shout. She had deliberately chosen to tell him that. "How could you…" possibly love someone like me?

"I don't know." The tears were falling faster now. Had she told him because she thought she had nothing left to lose? "I didn't mean to fall in love with you, it just happened. And I never meant to tell you, because I know I'm not good enough. Then you asked me to help you, and I thought maybe I could show you I can learn, that I wouldn't disappoint you. But you know about my family."

Neji didn't know how that mattered. She knew about his family and she still loved him.

He couldn't seem to get himself to process exactly what that meant. He should feel elated that TenTen had feelings for him, not Naruto, and if he told her now maybe they could be together.

Instead he just felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over his head. It had been bad enough knowing he'd hurt her when they'd been nothing but best friends. Knowing how much worse it must be, now, made it feel like he couldn't breathe. He'd broken her heart. He hadn't meant to, but he had. How could he fix this?

"I'm sorry." TenTen's voice had dropped to a whisper and she started to back away. What she was apologizing for, he didn't know, and he should find out but he couldn't make his body work the way he wanted. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you in front of your family, and, I'm sorry. Just sorry."

She turned and fled, and though he wanted to follow her again his body did the opposite—sinking to the ground because it felt like his legs wouldn't hold him any more. She was long gone by time he realized the first thing he should have said was 'I love you, too.'


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:** I always did promise my brother I'd finish this, and he still hasn't let me forget how I left it hanging. So, you can all thank him if you want for the fact that this story is getting another chance at life.

This does, however, reflect my slightly altered TenTen canon, and, if I can work it, my new favorite Hinata pairing. We'll see, though.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 20_

Hiashi-sama was just going to have to forgive him for not going back to the party. Forgive him or punish him, Neji didn't really care, because without TenTen he just didn't have the tolerance to deal with them anymore. With Hanabi, with the Elders, with any of them. Neji couldn't remember having ever been so tired.

Instead of turning around and walking inside like he probably should have done, and smoothing things over with a lie about how she suddenly wasn't feeling well or something, he went inside, changed into his regular clothes, put on his headband, and walked to Guy-sensei's apartment building.

Knowing what he did now, it was only safe to assume that TenTen wouldn't return home when she was upset. What good would crying to an empty room with screaming all around you do, except make you more upset? No, what made sense to Neji was for her to go the one place he knew she had left.

TenTen and Guy-sensei had always been close, though in a way completely different from the way he was close with Lee. Their teacher was one of the few people in the world that could get TenTen to admit when she was afraid, and he was the only one TenTen would let bandage her after a fight. She argued with him, constantly challenging his decisions and letting him know when he was being ridiculous. If there was anywhere TenTen would go to feel safe, it would be Guy-sensei's apartment.

This left Neji with quite the dilemma, though. He had no idea what he was going to do once he got there. If Guy-sensei even let him talk to TenTen, and the more he thought about it the bigger an if that seemed, he didn't know what to tell her. Somehow 'gee, TenTen, I'm sorry I've been such a prick all this time you've known me, but I've just realized I'm in love with you so can we forget all that and start over' didn't seem appropriate.

Guy-sensei's apartment was on the top floor, but when he reached that he just kept going up the wall, and instead settled himself on the roof to think. That way, when he figured out what on earth his next move should be, he could just pop down and make it happen, before he talked himself out of it.

Alright, so, the first thing was probably to figure out where, exactly, he had messed up. Besides everywhere. Because everywhere wasn't helpful.

He'd asked TenTen to be his date to Hinata-sama's birthday because she was the only girl he could even think of tolerating. That, in and of itself, hadn't been a bad idea, had it? Was that she was the only girl, in his opinion, he could even think of being with…a sign he'd loved her then? Before she'd changed anything about herself?

"_Did you think I wasn't good enough? Did you have to learn my family history so I could pass your stupid test? Was it finding the ability that made me finally good enough for you Neji?"_ How could she ever doubt that he thought she was good enough? There wasn't anyone in the world he trusted more than TenTen. No one, not even Lee and Guy-sensei, had stuck with him through more than she, had put up with more from him than she had. For so long now she was the first person he wanted on his team for missions; the only one he could count on to consistently push his limits and improve his techniques. If there was a hole in a technique, in a plan, TenTen would find it.

No, that wasn't deep enough. That was friendship, if it was anything at all. So, the first thing he had to deal with was that question he'd been wrestling with all week. Did he love her?

Yes, he found TenTen attractive. It would be amazing to him if every boy in the village didn't. She was confident and strong, and didn't flaunt her body which made it all the more appealing. Because then it would be just his. That wasn't love either, though. That was…creepy, actually, when he put his feelings into words like that.

TenTen said that she loved him. Had fallen in love with him without meaning to. Those were just words, the way she said them, but he still felt like they were crushing him. If TenTen said she loved him, what did he expect that to mean. Not just that she had strong feelings for him. More than that. Which feelings exactly did he want her to have?

Closing his eyes tight enough to give himself a headache, Neji frowned down at his toes that were hanging over the edge of the roof. He wanted her to feel safe. Physically safe, knowing he could protect her if the time came that she ever needed it, but not just that. He wanted her to feel completely safe. To tell him every secret, every thought, and know he wouldn't judge her or push her away. That there was nothing she could do that was bad enough for him to reject her. No matter the secret, he would accept and embrace it.

Not just that. He wanted her to know, like she knew how to breathe, that he would be with her. When the chance came for her to break free of her own cage—and she was in one of her own, he could see that now—that he would help her. If she wasn't strong enough to turn that key alone, he would be that last push. Not just protect her, not in front, but beside. Beside…or behind to catch her. When she surpassed his strength, and someday she would, she should know that he didn't mind being her shadow.

Partners. That's what she called them. What he wanted them to be in every sense of the word. Each of them being comfortable leading or following as the situation dictated, but happiest when they were side by side.

When she said she loved him, he wanted that to mean that she knew she could count on him more than anyone else. More constant than sun or stars. More real than the ground and sky, or anything around them. He wanted to be for her what she was for him. She was everything. She was the very definition of reality, because the world without her was meaningless. He'd survive that, but it sounded an awful fate. Too much like after his father had died, but deeper than that.

Right there! That was love, or at least the start of it. Probably it was more, deeper, richer, more complex than even he had words to express. But her happiness, her smile, was more important to him than his freedom, his strength, anything at all. If he had to choose never seeing the sun again, or never seeing her smile, well being transparent didn't sound so bad. Neither did death by suffocation, if the same choice was present with oxygen. Certainly not worse than making her cry.

Having now experienced both, or at least near suffocation, he could say that with certainty now.

All of this was true, and she doubted him? Thought that what caused her pain would somehow make her worthwhile for him?

Of course, he hadn't ever told her any of his feelings for her. He hadn't even shown her, had he?

"_Now you're back to hiding from everything! I can see it. Not your words; it's your face and your eyes. You close off, withdraw. And I just want you to stay here with me…"_ Did he hide from her? Did he really try and keep her as far away as he kept everyone else, even though she was nothing like anyone else in the world?

Yes, he did. Getting close to anyone in the Hyuuga compound was a risk, he'd learned that early on. The main branch was all politics; the second branch the defeated and the dead. Young as he was when his father died, there had been no one to give him the affection he had craved, and he'd convinced himself he didn't need it. That people were weak, and he had to become strong because his father had believed he could.

When he'd joined Team Guy, he hadn't known what to make of this group of certifiably insane ninja. TenTen was just as bad as the other two, really. Eager for praise and affection, determined to help and protect. Too open, too bright, for a little boy who had spent so long in the dark. They hadn't let him hide, though. The persistence between the three of them was astounding, and they hadn't let him retreat. Naturally, since TenTen was the closest to his level, he'd gravitated towards her, and she hadn't minded.

Hadn't minded…maybe even understood…because with parents like she had, what kind of strength had it taken for her to still be so open and bright when she'd seen first hand how painful the world could be? She'd tried to lend him her strength after Naruto turned his world upside down and he'd gotten lost trying to find himself. Something that, maybe, he was only now doing.

Because, up until tonight, he'd only ever tried to fit in at the compound. Even after he'd lost his hate and belief in destiny, he'd still surrendered to his cage, hadn't he? He never went against Hiashi-sama's wishes, questioned or defied anything. Had hurt TenTen in his attempt to bring her in with him.

"_You asked me to help you, and I thought maybe I could show you I can learn, that I wouldn't disappoint you."_ She could learn, she hadn't disappointed him at all. But he didn't want her in the cage with him. They'd been going the wrong way. He should have, instead, had her teach him how to pick the lock.

That was it. That was what he needed to say.

Without hesitation he dropped down, using the lip of the roof to flip himself underneath to land on the front step, and he knocked, loudly.

Guy opened the door, obviously surprised at first, before his face transformed in to that unreadable look he'd been giving Neji a lot lately. "I'm sorry, Neji, but TenTen doesn't wish to see you right now. Perhaps it would be best if you…"

Neji ignored him, instead speaking over his sensei's shoulder because he knew for sure now TenTen was in there somewhere. "TenTen…TenTen, you're the key. You're the key to my cage. Please, help me unlock it."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:** And now we get the next bit, in semi-reasonable time I hope. This is going a completely different direction than I originally planned, and I'm still not sure how to end it, but it shouldn't be too many more chapters. I'm thinking three at most. Maybe I'll stretch it to 25 to have a nice ending number, but we'll see.

I apologize in advance for the nasty fluff, but that just seems to be the nature of the beast. Hopefully, it's not too horribly written.

_**View the Puppet Master  
By: Reggie**_

_Chapter 21_

Neji frowned, shifting his weight to try and ease the numbness that had settled in his limbs. He'd been sitting out here on Guy-sensei's porch for hours now, with the pale pink dawn light just peeking over the eastern roof tops. At some point his teacher had come out to offer a blanket and hot chocolate, but no invitation to come inside had been extended. Part of the young Hyuuga wondered if this wasn't some kind of test; Guy-sensei was testing his resolve to see if he'd be there in the morning before allowing him anywhere near TenTen.

He'd heard nothing after his announcement. Had Guy-sensei said so, he might have even questioned if the girl was inside. As it was, he just had to trust that she'd heard him and that, sooner or later, she had to come out. If he had to wait here for days for that time, then Neji knew he'd do it. Now that he'd realized just how important she was, he wasn't willing to let her go again.

The creaking of the door caught his attention, and Neji looked up at see TenTen standing in front of him. She'd changed into her regular clothes and the makeup had been washed off, but her hair was hanging loose around her face, the dark frame making the circles under her eyes stand out even further. She probably had slept about as much as he had.

"Hey," she whispered, while Neji pushed himself up on tingling feet.

"TenTen," was his response, and he tried to ignore it as she stepped back when he stepped forward. It wasn't that she was afraid. More like she just didn't want him in her space.

"I don't know why you're here," she continued talking to him in that quiet voice. "I've tried all night to figure out what you mean by the key, but I don't know. I don't know what you want from me. We can't go back to being friends, and that's my fault, I shouldn't…but you know now, and that changes everything. If you want to pretend it doesn't, we can try, but whatever it is that you want me to be, I can't. I just, I'm sorry, but I can't."

She was cornered by the door now, and Neji used that opportunity to put a finger to her lips to silence her. She was rambling, and he needed to talk before this sanity, or whatever, left him. "I listened to what you had to say last time. Now it's your turn to hear me."

A small nod of assent, and Neji felt his lips tug into a smile without his permission. She reminded him of a puppy, looking up at him like that.

He took a step back, giving her some space, and took a breath. These things were so much easier to say in his head. "I should have said this last night. I should have said it a thousand times before then, too, but I didn't know…" Oh, great, now HE was rambling. They weren't going to get anywhere at this rate. With another deep breathe, trying to center himself, Neji started over. "I love you, TenTen. I'm not sure when it began. I'm not certain that's even important. All I know is that right here, right now, I love you."

TenTen was trembling, staring at him with her mouth hanging open slightly. She looked ready to bolt, and Neji couldn't really blame her. What he'd felt at her confession was still too raw. He could only hope she didn't slap him before he made it through what he wanted to say.

"I know I've made mistakes in the past, but trust me when I say that hurting you was never my intention." He looked down at his shoes, suddenly unable to face her as she continued to just stare him. "They were so much worse. I was trying impress people whose opinions should not, do not, matter. And I hurt you in the process, however much I hoped otherwise. There are no excuses for that but I am sorry that it did. I cannot apologize for my decision," and now he looked up, unsurprised to see she had not moved at all, "because that is what forced me to realize that something had to change. We were going the wrong way."

Taking advantage of the small pause in his speech, TenTen swallowed hard and gave him a half smile. "The wrong way?"

He nodded. "I was trying to drag you into my cage with me. What I want, have always wanted, is to get out and fly beside you." Neji chuckled softly to himself, glancing over his shoulder at the rising sun. "I thought I knew myself so well, but it was always you who really knew. I told myself I was being honest when I was simply doing what was easy. Accepting what was as what I wanted out of habit. Pretending to myself it didn't need to change because I was too afraid to try."

"Neji…" He could see her reaching for him out of the corner of his eye, and for some reason that seemed comforting. A part of him had been afraid that he was too late to fix his mistake from the night before, but if she was still willing to try, so could he.

"You were the only one who could see I was still hiding, when even I could not." Her fingers gently brushed his shoulder, and Neji turned his gaze towards her. She looked worried. For him. "I was hiding so far from myself that I couldn't even admit when I found my love for you. I don't want to be a coward anymore. I want to stand beside you from now on. I want you to help change what I've accepted too long. I just want to be with you."

A ghost of touch on his cheek as her fingers shifted from his shoulder to cup his face in a trembling hold. "Are you sure you love me now?"

"More sure than I've been of anything before," and he couldn't stop himself from reaching up with one hand and encircling the fingers touching his face in his hand. He'd never noticed before how tiny her hands were in comparison to his. They seemed so delicate and easy to break, but the scars that peppered her exposed finger tips cut through that impression, a silent testament to how strong she was. How many more scars did she have that he'd never noticed before?

It was silly. It was irrational. He did it anyway. Turning his head to the side, he found one of the scars with his lips and, closing his eyes, gave it a long gentle kiss. When he opened his eyes again, he was startled to see tears shimmering on the surface of TenTen's eyes. What had he done wrong now? "TenTen…"

She smiled at him, extending her fingers to grab some of his hair and giving it a playful tug. "I never thought you'd say these things to me. When I allowed myself to dream this far, I always thought that I love you too was the best I would ever get. This seems unreal. It isn't like you to be so sentimental."

Well, he couldn't really blame her for that, though it still didn't really explain the tears. "I don't want to be that me anymore. I want to be a me you're proud to be with. That you can be happy with, and won't ever make you cry again."

A soft laugh escaped her as, suddenly, Neji found himself with his arms full of her and she buried her face in his shoulder. "Now I know I'm dreaming. My Neji would never say something as sticky as that."

"I thought girls loved that kind of stuff," Neji muttered into her hair, and was rewarded with a not-quite-gentle punch to the chest. He couldn't help smiling a little at that. He wasn't sure if it was them that had changed, their relationship, or maybe some combination of both, and it was comforting to know that she still refused to tolerate generalizations by gender. "I know it sounds corny, but I don't have a better way to put it. I'm not skilled in this area. I've never done it before."

TenTen hmmed a little, giving his torso another squeeze before stepping back to smile up at him. "Then I guess we'll just have to make it up as we go. Find out what works through trial and error."

"I've never been good at the error part of that." It was a joke, kind of.

He was rewarded with another brilliant smile and little laugh. "That's the part that makes it interesting, so you're just going to have to practice."

"How do we figure out where to go from here, then?" It was an uncomfortable feeling, this doing something without knowing what the next step of the plan would be. But it wasn't just his plan anymore. It was their plan, and so to make it he'd have to talk to TenTen. To his other half.

"Well," TenTen grinned up at him for a moment before her face morphed into an overly exaggerated thoughtful look. "I suppose we should kiss and get ready for Hinata's birthday."

It might not be a romantic or perfect first kiss, but this was not an opportunity he was willing to miss. He was a genius after all. Grasping her lightly by her upper arms, Neji held TenTen still while he lowered his head and, with closed eyes, found her lips. It was just a hesitant pressing together of their mouths, barely enough to count, but it still left him feeling dizzy, like he'd been holding his breath too long. For her part, TenTen looked like she had the first time she'd used an explosive tag and accidently set it off too close. Dazed and perhaps a little shell shocked.

Laughing, though at what he didn't exactly know, Neji stepped back. "What was the second thing we were supposed to do?"

"K-kiss again, I think," and TenTen laughed a little too, before they did just that.


End file.
